Software Engineer, Core Infrastructure (Mid-Senior level)
Zip
San Francisco, CA · Posted June 24, 2026
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Where San Francisco, CA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best cities for security jobs316 openings · of 20
- #1Best cities for technology jobs7,178 openings · of 100
- #1Best cities for financial services pay after cost of living$173k · of 33
- #1Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills35% · of 100
- #1Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the West Coast35% · of 54
- #1Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast902 jobs · of 47
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
Pay compared with the market
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Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
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About the job
ABOUT ZIP
Zip is the AI platform for enterprise procurement — built for humans and agents working together. By orchestrating procurement across teams, tools, and suppliers with the help of AI agents, companies can secure the resources they need to innovate faster than ever before.
The world’s most influential enterprises trust Zip, including T-Mobile, OpenAI, AMD, Mars, Dollar Tree, and more. Together they’ve saved over $8 billion and processed over $500 billion in spend. Zip’s team includes product leaders from Apple, Airbnb, and Meta, as well as former procurement leaders from United Health, Sanofi, MGM Resorts, Discover, and NASA.
Backed by Adams Street, Alkeon, BOND, CRV, DST, Tiger Global, and Y Combinator, Zip has raised $371 million, most recently at a $2.2 billion valuation and has been recognized by Forbes Fintech 50, Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, Inc. Best in Business, and LinkedIn Top Startups.
YOUR ROLE
We are looking for an experienced software engineer to join the Core Infrastructure team in San Francisco, CA. This role will become a key contributor to Zip’s multi-region expansion, and take ownership in one or more of the Core Infra components, such as Kubernetes platform, AI infrastructure and more.
YOU WILL
- Play a pivotal role in multi-region growth by building and operating global multi-cell architectures.
- Assume end-to-end ownership of one or more infrastructure components, including Kubernetes platforms, AI Infra, observability, deployment pipeline and cost optimization.
- Champion technical excellence by leading the design, implementation, and operational excellence of highly scalable systems.
- Partner with engineering colleagues to accelerate and empower Zip’s product roadmap.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 4 years of experience in software engineering.
- Strong track record of building and operating large scale platforms or infrastructure independently.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or a related technical field (e.g., Physics, Mathematics).
NICE TO HAVE
- Hands-on expertise in building and operating large-scale systems, utilizing technologies like AWS, Datadog, Kubernetes, and open-source solutions such as Celery, Redis, Docling and DBOS.
- Demonstrated effective collaboration with internal stakeholders across multiple time zones.
The salary range for this role is $165,000 - $240,000. The salary for this position is determined based on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant experience, education, or particular skills and expertise.
PERKS & BENEFITS
At Zip, we’re committed to providing our employees with everything they need to do their best work.
- 📈 Start-up equity
- 🦷 100% health, vision & dental coverage options
- 🍽️ Catered breakfast, lunch, & dinner
- 🌴 Flexible PTO
- 🏋️♀️ ClassPass membership
- 🚍 Monthly commuter benefit
- 🚠 Team building events & happy hours
- 💻 Home office stipend
- 🛜 Phone/internet reimbursement
- 🍼 Paid parental leave
- 🧑🧑🧒🧒 Fertility stipend
- 💸 401k plan
- 🤖 Unlimited AI token usage
We're looking to hire Zipsters and that means hiring people who take ownership, communicate openly, have an underdog mindset, and are excited to increase the pace of innovation for every business in the world. We encourage all candidates to apply even if your experience doesn't exactly match up to our job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workspace where everyone (regardless of age, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and more) feels like they belong. We look forward to hearing from you!