Principal Software Engineer

Job Description

The engineering team at Root strives to be one of the most transformative engineering teams ever. We’re changing the way an industry works by leveraging technology and data to build the best products possible. Even with our significant growth, we operate in small teams that are given ownership over projects and results. We’ve found that the people closest to the problems are the best at solving them. We're actively hiring Engineers for our Columbus, OH or Chicago, IL offices, as well as those who prefer to work remotely! Remote employees must be located in the United States are expected to work either Eastern or Central timezone hours. Our tech stack includes: Ruby / Rails backend, RSpec for testing Javascript / React Native frontend, Mocha for testing Small amounts of native iOS and Android Deployment to AWS ECS using containers Buildkite for CI We’re scaling rapidly, and we recently launched a $6B IPO: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/root-insurance-ipo-poised-to-disrupt-the-insurance-market-2020-10-30 Our team excels at delivering software to solve the problems in front of us at Root: presently, a suite of world-class mobile, web, and server-based products obsessed with the customer experience. We’ve shaped our team and process around this; we know that constant iteration and experimentation produce the best results. For more information on engineering at Root see root.engineering Principal Engineers at Root are our most trusted technical experts. They work across multiple teams of engineers to set and coordinate technical direction. Principal Engineers facilitate the delivery of large projects and features by helping design solutions, pair programming with other engineers, contributing to code review and by writing code themselves. They help strengthen the technical prowess of the entire engineering organization by mentoring and growing the engineers around them. We divide the areas of responsibility for engineers into three major areas: Technical: The skills and knowledge that make up an engineer’s basic problem-solving toolbox. Planning and Execution: The ability to plan and execute assigned work beyond basic technical solutions. Working with Others: The ability to work effectively with other engineers and people in other functions. Scope of Impact Multiple Teams, Large Initiatives, or Company What we look for in Principal Software Engineers:

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of technologies used in our stack, client-server architecture, and web technologies
• Ability to architect complex, high-scale web applications and data solutions
• Incorporates testing and thinks about reliability as a natural part of delivering working software
• Experienced with several programming paradigms
• Expert-level knowledge of databases, SQL, and version control tools
• Thorough understanding of infrastructure and devops

Planning and Execution

• Plans and completes large and complex multi-person or multi-team projects
• Foresees issues and requirements for large projects and features
• Thinks critically about work to guarantee business functionality. Internalizes business goals in their technical decision making.
• Can break down large initiatives into incrementally implementable deliverables and coordinate them across multiple engineers and teams

Working with Others

• Provides effective and accurate technical feedback in code reviews
• Able to work across teams to tackle complex issues
• Mentors and grows the engineers around them
• Works with product owners, analysts and other functions to move company’s priorities forward

Join us. At Root, we judge people based on the merit of their work, not who they are. Very few (if any!) people will fit every description; so if you are passionate about what this role entails, and are excited by solving real problems, we encourage you to apply; we want to learn about you, and what you can add to our team! Who we are. Root Insurance is the nation’s first licensed insurance carrier powered entirely by mobile. We were founded on the belief that the services you need for everyday life should serve you better. That’s why we base insurance coverages on you, not your demographic. It’s the way insurance should be. And it’s all conveniently in an app. What draws people to Root. Our early success is in large part due to our unwavering standards in hiring. We recognize that our product is only as good as the people building and promoting it. We look for individuals who find solutions by going through the cycle of ideation to implementation with curiosity, rigor, and a highly analytical lens. Ask anyone who works here and you’ll hear similar reasons for why they joined: Autonomy. For assertive self-starters, the opportunities to contribute are limitless. Impact. By challenging the way it’s always been done, we solve problems that have a big impact on our business. Collaboration. We encourage rich discussion and civil debate at every turn. People. We are inspired by the collection of crazy-smart people around us #LI-REMOTE #LI-TH1 Apply for this job