OpenGov is the leader in AI-enabled software for cities, counties, state agencies, and special districts. With a mission to power more effective and accountable government, OpenGov serves 2,000 communities across the United States. OpenGov is built exclusively for the unique asset management, permitting and licensing, procurement and contract management, tax and revenue, budgeting and planning, and financial management needs of the public sector. The OpenGov platform empowers organizations to operate more efficiently, adapt to change, and strengthen public trust.

Learn more or request a demo at opengov.com

Job Summary:

As a Principal Engineer at OpenGov, you will lead the design, development, and implementation of scalable software solutions. This role requires deep technical expertise in software architecture, system design, and application development. As a key technical leader, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive AI innovation, ensure engineering excellence, and integrate AI-powered solutions into real-world applications

A typical day in this role would provide opportunities to enhance and optimize applications for speed / scalability and resolve various unique technical challenges. Strong collaboration skills with the product, UX, and platform engineers and the ability to execute quickly will enable your success.

You are a passionate coder who enjoys problem solving with a keen eye for good component design and solid application architecture.  We value natural self-starters who can communicate ideas effectively and contribute to OpenGov's respect, dedication, and fun culture. You love clean code, principles over dogma, and making the world a little better every day.

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement high-quality, scalable, and maintainable software solutions.

• Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and hands-on support to engineers across multiple teams.Conduct thorough code reviews to maintain high standards and improve team capabilities.

• Write efficient, well-documented, and testable code, ensuring adherence to coding standards and best practices

• Collaborate cross-functionally with product managers, designers, and other engineers to deliver impactful software solutions that leverage the power of AI

• Lead  and influence ‘proof of concepts’ / prototypes for larger complex initiatives to alleviate unforeseen technical challenges. 

• Left Shift QA by applying modern tooling including CI/CD practices, Observability and test driven design.

• Cultivate customer empathy to ensure that the solutions exceed customer expectations.

• Contribute to OpenGov’s Engineering culture of innovation, leading-edge technology adoption, and quality.

• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, advocating for their adoption where appropriate. 

Requirements Experience:

• BE in a computer science or related field or MCA.

• 12+ years of professional software development experience, with at least 2+ years in a Principal engineering role.

• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (Java, JavaScript/TypeScript).

• Deep understanding of distributed systems, microservices, and cloud-native architectures.

• Experience with unit testing, integration testing, and CI/CD pipelines.

• Strong experience with SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis).

• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes).

• Experience optimizing large-scale applications for performance, security, and reliability.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in designing and building event-driven architectures.

• Contributions to open-source projects or strong personal coding portfolio.

• Knowledge of infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, CloudFormation).

• Strong understanding of security best practices in software development.

Why OpenGov?

A Mission That Matters.

At OpenGov, public service is personal. We are passionate about our mission to power more effective and accountable government. Government that operates efficiently, adapts to change, and strengthens public trust.  Some people say this is boring.  We think it’s the core of our democracy.

Opportunity to Innovate

The next great wave of innovation is unfolding with AI, and it will impact everything—from the way we work to the way governments interact with their residents. Join a trusted team with the passion, technology, and expertise to drive innovation and bring AI to local government. We’ve touched 2,000 communities so far, and we’re just getting started.

A Team of Passionate, Driven People

This isn’t your typical 9-to-5 job; we operate in a fast-paced, results-driven environment where impact matters more than simply clocking in and out. Our global team of 800+ employees is united in our commitment to challenge the status quo. OpenGov is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Dubuque, Plano, and Pune.

A Place to Make Your Mark

We pride ourselves on our performance-based culture, where every employee is encouraged to jump in head-first and take action to help us improve. If you have a great idea, we want to hear it. Excellent performance is recognized and rewarded, and we love to promote from within.

Benefits That Work for You

Enjoy an award-winning workplace with the benefits to match, including:

• Comprehensive healthcare options for individuals and families.

• Flexible vacation policy and paid company holidays

• 401(k) with company match

• Paid parental leave, wellness stipends, and HSA contributions

• Professional development and growth opportunities

• A collaborative office environment with weekly catered lunches