Principal Engineer
About the Role
Set technical direction for the entire platform. Solve the hardest problems and mentor engineers across the organisation.
As a Principal Engineer at Twari, you'll be the most senior individual contributor, setting technical direction for the entire platform. You'll tackle the most complex technical challenges, from scaling vector search to millions of queries per second, to designing resilient distributed systems that never go down. You'll influence architecture decisions across all teams and mentor engineers company-wide.
What You'll Do
- Define technical vision and architecture for the entire Twari platform
- Solve the most complex technical problems (performance, scalability, reliability)
- Drive technical initiatives that span multiple teams and systems
- Mentor Staff and Senior engineers across frontend, backend, and infrastructure
- Lead technical design reviews and set engineering standards
- Research and evaluate new technologies, frameworks, and architectural patterns
- Represent Twari's technical expertise externally (blog posts, talks, open source)
What We're Looking For
- 12+ years of software engineering experience
- Deep expertise in multiple areas (databases, distributed systems, performance, etc.)
- Track record of architecting and shipping large-scale production systems
- Strong technical leadership without direct management responsibilities
- Ability to influence and drive consensus across engineering teams
- Excellent technical communication (writing, speaking, documentation)
- Experience as Staff+ engineer or similar senior IC role
Nice to Have
- Deep experience with PostgreSQL, vector databases, or search systems at scale
- Background in high-traffic consumer platforms (100M+ users)
- Published research, patents, or significant open source contributions
- Experience with ML systems, recommendation engines, or ranking algorithms
Perks & Benefits
Competitive Salary
Compensation aligned with your experience and location.
4-Day Work Week
We believe in work-life balance. Work 4 days, enjoy 3-day weekends.
Unlimited PTO
Minimum 25 days encouraged per year. Take time off when you need it.
Flexible Hours
Async-first culture with core collaboration window 11am-3pm CET for team syncs. Cross-timezone pairing is flexible based on what works for you and your teammates.
Home Office Setup
€2,000 setup budget plus €150/month stipend for coworking, equipment, or coffee.
Premium Equipment
Choice of MacBook Pro or Dell XPS laptop, plus accessories.
Learning Budget
€2,500/year for courses, books, conferences, or anything that helps you grow.
Annual Company Retreat
Meet the team in person at our annual retreat somewhere in Europe.
Annual Salary Reviews
Regular reviews tied to your performance and growth.
Health Insurance
Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
Compassionate Leave
Paid leave when you need it most for difficult life situations.
Paid Volunteer Time
5 days paid time to give back to your community.
Parental Leave
Mother: 6 months fully paid. Father: 3 months fully paid, with option to extend to 6 months at 80% pay.
Sabbatical
After 3 years: 4 weeks paid. After 5 years: 8 weeks paid. Time to recharge, travel, or pursue personal projects.
10% Time for Side Projects
Dedicate time to passion projects, open source contributions, or learning. Roughly 1 day every 2 weeks.
Pension Contribution
5% company contribution to your retirement fund.
Referral Bonus
€2,500 when you refer someone who gets hired (after 3 months). Referred candidate gets €500 welcome bonus.
* All benefits meet or exceed your country's statutory minimums. If your local laws require more, we'll adapt accordingly.
About Twari
Twari is a vibe-first social discovery app that helps people find content and creators based on aesthetic and mood, not follower counts or engagement metrics.
We're building the future of discovery where small creators get equal visibility when their vibe matches what people are seeking. Twari uses advanced visual AI to analyse colour palettes, energy levels, and aesthetic warmth to surface content that resonates.
We're a small, remote-first team backed by experienced founders and advisors. We value authenticity over clout, quality over quantity, and building products that genuinely help people.
Ready to Apply?
Send us your resume, portfolio (if applicable), and a note about why you're excited about Twari.
Apply for this positionWe review applications on a rolling basis and typically respond within 5 business days.