Tech Lead, Platform Engineering

About Pinecone

Pinecone is pioneering search and database technology to power AI/ML applications for the next decade and beyond. We provide customers with capabilities that until now have only been in the hands of a few tech giants. Our R&D team includes founders of multiple startups and world-class engineers including the core team that created Amazon SageMaker.

We value integrity, passion, pushing boundaries, real-world problem solving, and a sense of humor. We work in collaboration, and encourage new ideas and initiatives.

About the Team and Role:

As a Tech Lead in the Platform Engineering team at Pinecone, you will be instrumental in shaping the technical direction, scalability, and efficiency of our platform infrastructure. This role is a blend of hands-on engineering and technical leadership. You will be responsible for leading a team of engineers in creating a seamless, reliable, and high-performance developer experience that accelerates productivity across all engineering teams. Reporting directly to the Director of Engineering, you will also work closely with cross-functional stakeholders to guide the evolution of our platform, ensuring it meets the growing demands of our applications in a secure, scalable, and robust manner.

In this role, you will work on:

• Technical Strategy and Best Practices.

• Lead technical initiatives and establish best practices within platform engineering, setting the direction for infrastructure, deployment processes, and developer tooling.

• Collaborate with the Director of Engineering to align platform solutions with company objectives, enabling agility and innovation across engineering.

• Provide technical mentorship, fostering a culture of high standards in platform development and encouraging team members to solve complex problems effectively.

• Developer experience:

  • We work closely with software engineers to align platform engineering efforts with development goals, ensuring seamless integration and support.

  • We build and maintain tools such as CLIs and manage development environments to streamline workflows and enhance productivity.

  • Communicating platform processes, configurations, and best practices ensures knowledge sharing through documentation and continuity, while providing support and guidance on building, testing, and deploying applications.

• Deployments:

  • We build our systems on top of Kubernetes and Cloud Run, with underlying infrastructure managed by Pulumi.

  • Our deployment process utilizes Kubernetes tooling, including Helm, Helmfile, and ArgoCD, to ensure smooth and efficient operations.

  • Using cloud-native technologies allows us to move fast while being present in different clouds.

• Builds:

  • We manage a monorepo with multiple projects, requiring efficient build automation to ensure a quick feedback cycle by building only necessary artifacts.

  • Our cross-platform environment necessitates building binaries for Intel and ARM architectures, utilizing containerization with technologies such as Docker builds, container registries, and image scanning.

  • We focus on building robust Rust and Python applications to drive our core functionalities.

• Testing:

  • We develop and maintain comprehensive automated testing frameworks, covering unit tests, integration tests, API tests, and property-based tests to ensure high-quality software releases.

  • Automated tests are integrated into the CI/CD pipeline to catch issues early, while also ensuring that tests can be run quickly both locally and in CI environments.

  • Testing distributed systems comes with unique challenges, and collaboration with engineering teams ensures comprehensive test coverage and effective solutions.

• Infrastructure:

  • We design, build, and maintain scalable, secure, and high-performance infrastructure across multiple cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure), tackling the complexities of cross-cloud environments.

  • Infrastructure as code (IaC) practices are implemented using tools like Pulumi, Helm, and Kubernetes to ensure consistency and efficiency.

  • Monitoring infrastructure health, performance, and security is crucial, with proactive measures taken to address any issues and maintain robust operations.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• 5+ years of experience in platform engineering, DevOps, or a similar role.

• Strong proficiency in managing CI/CD pipelines and build automation tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, CircleCI).

• Hands-on experience with automated testing frameworks and tools.

• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and cloud-native services.

• Proficiency in infrastructure as code (IaC) tools such as Pulumi and Helm.

• Solid programming skills (e.g., Python, Java, Rust, C++). We build automation and tooling using Rust and Python.

• Strong understanding of containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes) technologies.

• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Perks & Benefits:

• Comprehensive health coverage including Medical, Dental, Vision

• Free mental health therapy sessions; free One Medical, Tela-doc, and Health Advocate subscriptions

• Cost-savings on gynecology, fertility, and family-building care

• Equity award

• 401(k)

• Flexible time off

• Paid parental leave

• Annual Department Retreat

• WFH Equipment Stipend

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are the cornerstone of everything we do at Pinecone. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications in a job description. Our top priority is finding the best candidate for the job and if you are interested in the position, we would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications listed in this posting. All qualified applicants will receive considerations for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws.