Jobs and Careers

Principal Engineer

Zoom

San Jose, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 11 Jun 2026

💰 $375,900/yr($171,800/yr – $375,900/yr)

About the role

Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position

What you can expect

Zoom is seeking a Principal Engineer to help advance the reliability and operational maturity of our DevOps teams. This role will also support broader engineering organizations where their work intersects with production operations. This is a senior leadership role focused on improving how our teams operate systems at scale. It emphasizes shifting away from reactive patterns toward more proactive and sustainable approaches informed by SRE principles. The role emphasizes execution, follow-through, and practical change, rather than planning or architecture ownership. It reports to the Head of DevOps and works closely with senior and executive leadership.

About the Team

With eight specialized departments, the engineering team functions as a highly collaborative, diverse powerhouse. Each department mission is to deliver seamless and innovative communication solutions. These range from software development and machine learning to quality assurance teams that work to create and maintain Zoom's user-friendly interfaces and robust infrastructure. The team continues to push the boundaries of communication technology, bringing people together regardless of their physical distance.

Responsibilities

Working closely with DevOps teams to understand current operating practices and identify areas where reactive behaviors increase operational risk or operational toil
Helping teams adopt automation-first, low-touch operating models that reduce manual intervention and human error
Supporting teams in applying systematic learning from failures, translating incident root causes into durable improvements to systems, tooling, and operating practices
Promoting convergence of infrastructure and operational practices across DevOps teams where shared approaches improve reliability and reduce fragmentation
Supporting teams operating in shared and regulated environments, including Zoom for Government, by helping establish clear, understandable operational expectations
Contributing to improved capacity planning and cost-aware reliability tradeoffs, adding structure and follow-through to existing efficiency efforts
Engaging with external vendors and partners where their systems or services materially affect Zoom’s reliability, cost, or compliance posture
Providing clear, thoughtful updates to senior leadership that summarize operational health, trends, and areas for improvement, including human-driven failure modes

What we’re looking for

15+ years of experience in engineering, DevOps, or infrastructure-adjacent roles
Motivate teams responsible for operating large-scale production systems
Have a track record of helping teams improve how they operate, not just what they deliver
Prioritize building and implementing low touch, automation-first operating models for services at scale
Provide influence across teams without direct authority
Deliver pragmatic, steady, and effectiveness in ambiguous situations
Able to communicate operational issues, tradeoffs, and improvement opportunities clearly to both engineers and leaders
Champion working in regulated or compliance-sensitive environments

Salary Range or On Target Earnings:

Minimum:

$171,800.00

Maximum:

$375,900.00

In addition to the base salary and/or OTE listed Zoom has a Total Direct Compensation philosophy that takes into consideration; base salary, bonus and equity value.

Note: Starting pay will be based on a number of factors and commensurate with qualifications & experience.

We also have a location based compensation structure; there may be a different range for candidates in this and other locations

At Zoom, we offer a window of at least 5 days for you to apply because we believe in giving you every opportunity. Below is the potential closing date, just in case you want to mark it on your calendar. We look forward to receiving your application!

Anticipated Position Close Date:

06/18/26

Ways of Working
Our structured hybrid approach is centered around our offices and remote work environments.