As a Principal Engineer, you will lead the architectural evolution of IAM systems, overseeing reliability and mentoring engineers, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to meet requirements.
Available Locations: Hybrid - Austin
About the Department
Cloudflare's Engineering Team builds and runs the software that handles large volumes of HTTP requests on the Internet today. We also build and run the internal tools that power our software. Within this organization, the Identity and Access Management (IAM) team is the foundation of our Control Plane. We are responsible for the security, scalability, and reliability of how every customer and internal service interacts with the Cloudflare ecosystem.
What You'll Do
As a Principal Engineer, you will be the technical north star for our IAM and Control Plane strategy. Your role transcends individual features; you will be responsible for the long-term health and architectural evolution of our identity systems.
About the Department
Cloudflare's Engineering Team builds and runs the software that handles large volumes of HTTP requests on the Internet today. We also build and run the internal tools that power our software. Within this organization, the Identity and Access Management (IAM) team is the foundation of our Control Plane. We are responsible for the security, scalability, and reliability of how every customer and internal service interacts with the Cloudflare ecosystem.
What You'll Do
As a Principal Engineer, you will be the technical north star for our IAM and Control Plane strategy. Your role transcends individual features; you will be responsible for the long-term health and architectural evolution of our identity systems.
- Architectural Leadership: Lead the design and evolution of high-throughput, low-latency IAM systems that power both customer-facing and internal service APIs.
- Technical Strategy: Define the roadmap for migrating or scaling our legacy authentication and authorization systems into modern, distributed architectures.
- Cross-Functional Influence: Work closely with Product, Security, and UX teams to translate complex business requirements into robust, secure technical specifications.
- Mentorship & Excellence: Set the standard for engineering excellence through deep code reviews, technical design documents, and mentoring senior engineers.
- Operational Stewardship: Oversee the reliability of a platform under constant load, ensuring observability and resilience are baked into the core of the system.
- Extensive Experience: 10+ years of professional experience building and managing software applications at a massive scale (with at least 5 years at a Senior or Staff level).
- Identity Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of IAM protocols (OAuth2, OIDC, SAML), RBAC/ABAC models, and the security implications of session management at the edge.
- Distributed Systems Mastery: Proven track record in designing, architecting, and debugging large-scale distributed systems that handle global traffic.
- Language Proficiency: Deep knowledge of Go (our primary backend language), though expertise in TypeScript, Rust, C++, or similar is highly valued.
- Database & Storage: Expert-level knowledge of relational databases (PostgreSQL) and distributed caching/storage strategies.
- API Stewardship: Significant experience designing and versioning public-facing APIs that are used by millions of developers.
- Cloudflare Ecosystem: Experience building on Cloudflare Workers or similar serverless/edge computing environments.
- Observability Advocate: A passion for building "observable" systems using Prometheus, Grafana, and Kibana to proactively identify failures.
- Infrastructure as Code: Experience with modern containerized deployment (Docker & Kubernetes), Terraform, and infrastructure automation.
- Security Mindset: A background in security engineering or formal verification of protocol implementations.
- Strategic Delivery: A history of leading multi-quarter projects from conception to global rollout in partnership with product owners.
Top Skills
C++
Docker
Go
Grafana
Kibana
Kubernetes
Postgres
Prometheus
Rust
Terraform
Typescript
Cloudflare Denver, Colorado, USA Office
Denver, Colorado, United States, 80014
Similar Jobs at Cloudflare
Cloud • Information Technology • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
Lead and scale developer marketing efforts, focusing on demand generation and field marketing to enhance developer engagement and revenue. Define marketing strategies, manage teams, and collaborate with various departments for successful product positioning and growth.
Top Skills:
Cloudflare WorkersDurable ObjectsKvPagesR2Workers Ai
Cloud • Information Technology • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
Manage and grow a portfolio of Enterprise clients, drive new business and expansions, establish C-level relationships, and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction while exceeding sales quotas.
Top Skills:
Cloud NetworkingSecurity TechnologySFDC
Cloud • Information Technology • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
As a Systems Engineer, you'll drive medium-to-large projects from design to completion, mentor junior engineers, and enhance system resilience at Cloudflare.
Top Skills:
C++GoPythonRust
What you need to know about the Colorado Tech Scene
With a business-friendly climate and research universities like CU Boulder and Colorado State, Colorado has made a name for itself as a startup ecosystem. The state boasts a skilled workforce and high quality of life thanks to its affordable housing, vibrant cultural scene and unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation. Colorado is also home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, helping cement its status as a hub for renewable energy innovation.
Key Facts About Colorado Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 260,000; 8.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Lockheed Martin, Century Link, Comcast, BAE Systems, Level 3
- Key Industries: Software, artificial intelligence, aerospace, e-commerce, fintech, healthtech
- Funding Landscape: $4.9 billion in VC funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Access Venture Partners, Ridgeline Ventures, Techstars, Blackhorn Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Denver, Colorado State University, Mesa Laboratory, Space Science Institute, National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Gottlieb Institute
