Principal Software Engineer (C++ and Rust)

ATPCO is the world's primary source for air fare content, holding over 200 million fares across 160 countries. Every day, the travel industry relies on ATPCO's technology and data solutions to help millions of travelers reach their destinations efficiently. Join us and contribute to the development of innovative applications that power global travel. ATPCO is everywhere people buy flights. We’re not just shaping the future of air travel– we’re redefining how and where great work happens. At ATPCO, we believe in flexibility, trust, and a culture where your wellbeing comes first Why Join Us? ✅ Remote-First Culture – Flexibility to work from home in your country of hire ✅ Inclusive, Collaborative Culture– Be seen, heard, and valued ✅ “Leave Your Way” PTO– Take the time you need, when you need it ✅ 401(k) with Generous Employer Match– Invest in your future ✅ Comprehensive Benefits– Medical, dental, vision, & mental health ✅ Global Tuition and Gym Reimbursement– Learn and be well on us ✅ Standby Flight Program– Explore the world Our Culture: We’ve built a remote-first culture rooted in trust, transparency, and belonging. With open-door leadership, weekly 1:1s, and real-time recognition, we keep our people connected and valued—no matter where they work. Our cultural pillars of Collaboration, Empowerment, Innovation, Learning, Transparency, and Trust guide how we show up for one another and grow together. Job Description: Want to help redefine how the airline industry prices and sells products on a global scale? At ATPCO, you'll join our Pricing Platform Team, established in 2024, to evolve a next-generation pricing engine that manages over 200 million fares across more than 160 countries. The platform is already up and running, and we're now focused on expanding its capabilities, supporting new use cases, and shaping how airlines distribute and optimize their products in real time. As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll play a key technical leadership role, tackling complex challenges in distributed systems, performance engineering, and large-scale data processing while helping shape the future of airline retailing. What You’ll Do Extend and evolve our high-performance, fault-tolerant pricing engine to support new use casesShape the platform’s architecture and drive key technical decisions with the teamSolve complex challenges in distributed systems, scalability, and reliabilityWork across the stack, from low-level system interactions to distributed algorithms and APIsOptimize for extreme performance. At 200M+ fares, shaving milliseconds off latency and fractions of a cent off cost adds up fast. Techniques in play include:Zero-copy data pathsLock-free data structuresSophisticated fault tolerance and replication strategiesGet deep in the existing engine’s codebase and design, so enhancements build on what’s already therePartner with engineers, product, and stakeholders to shape the future of airline retailing technology What We’re Looking For Systems programming expertise: expert-level C and Rust. Go or Python are a plus.A love of the hard stuff: complex algorithms, data structures, and systems design, for their own sake and not just as a means to ship a feature.Linux depth: a deep understanding of Linux systems, performance, and resource management.Distributed systems at scale: proven experience building and operating fault-tolerant distributed systems in production.A scientific approach: you work through complex, ambiguous problems with data, measurement, and evidence.Ownership: you take ownership of the product’s success, not just your assigned tickets, and you identify and solve problems proactively.Self-directed learning: you dig into a large, unfamiliar codebase yourself and come with specific, well-researched questions. The team invests heavily in helping people who do.Strong technical discussion: this team enjoys rigorous debate. You argue from data, defend good ideas, and change your mind when shown better ones.Clear communication: excellent written communication and collaboration skills in a distributed, async-friendly team.Thoughtful AI use: you use AI-assisted development tools to increase productivity without lowering the quality bar. Bonus Points Experience in airline pricing, distribution, or ATPCO dataBackground building high-throughput, low-latency data platforms The Impact You’ll Have Your work will directly influence how airlines worldwide price, distribute, and optimize their offerings, unlocking new capabilities in airline retailing and shaping the future of the industry. Compensation: Salary Range: $152,000 - $183,000 The disclosed salary range applies uniformly across all U.S. locations and is not modified based on geographic differentials. At ATPCO, we are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our supportive policies promote work-life balance through flexible work arrangements, and we cultivate a workplace where every employee feels valued, respected, and a true sense of belonging. We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, protected military/veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, or any other legally protected factor. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.