Salesforce

Software Engineering Lead/Principal - AI Tooling & Automation

Salesforce$172K — $344K *
Information Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years in software development, test automation, and performance engineering for enterprise SaaS/distributed systems.
  • Proficient in at least one modern programming language: Java, Python, or TypeScript/Node.js.
  • Hands-on experience with UI and API testing frameworks like Playwright, Selenium, or Postman.
  • Expertise in load testing tools such as K6 and JMeter, and APM tools like New Relic.
  • Familiar with AWS (or GCP/Azure), Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD tools.
  • BS or MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

  • Drive quality strategy by establishing test strategies and quality gates early in development.
  • Design resilient architectures addressing performance and scalability challenges.
  • Lead technical triage to resolve systemic architectural flaws.
  • Architect scalable quality engineering frameworks for various services.
  • Embed continuous quality into CI/CD workflows with automated testing.
  • Create production-like test environments using Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Define performance strategies modeling high-concurrency customer workloads.
  • Perform deep-dive performance analysis across distributed systems.

Benefits

  • Access to tools and resources for work-life balance and personal development.
  • Support from AI agents to enhance productivity and impact.
  • Opportunities to redefine professional potential within the organization.
Full Job Description
To get the best candidate experience, please consider applying for a maximum of 3 roles within 12 months to ensure you are not duplicating efforts.

Job Category
Software Engineering

Job Details

As a Lead/Principal Engineer in Quality & Performance Excellence, you will operate at the intersection of quality architecture, intelligent test automation, performance engineering, and engineering excellence. You will drive AI-native engineering practices by establishing and scaling industry-leading approaches to quality, performance, reliability, and delivery across the organization.

You will enable engineering teams to deliver faster, safer, and more reliable customer outcomes through engineering standards, intelligent automation, quality governance, and continuous innovation.

In this role, you will work across engineering and product to shape how teams design, build, validate, and deliver software. You will leverage AI, intelligent automation, engineering rigor, and data-driven insights to accelerate delivery while continuously raising the bar for quality, reliability, scalability, and performance.

Key Responsibilities
  • Drive quality strategy and engineering excellence by establishing customer usage models, comprehensive test strategies, and quality gates early in the architecture and development lifecycle.
  • Design and evolve resilient technical architectures that address complex functional, performance, scalability, reliability, and fault-tolerance challenges across systems.
  • Lead complex, cross-functional technical triage by identifying systemic and architectural flaw patterns and driving durable fixes across the Agentic Development Lifecycle (ADLC).
  • Architect and build scalable quality engineering frameworks spanning UI, REST/gRPC APIs, microservices, and end-to-end workflows using Java, Python, and TypeScript/JavaScript.
  • Embed continuous quality into the software delivery lifecycle by integrating automated regression, monitoring, alerting, and sanity testing into modern CI/CD pipelines and developer workflows.
  • Architect scalable, production-like test environments using containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes, along with synthetic test-data generation capabilities.
  • Define and execute enterprise-scale performance strategies that model high-concurrency, customer workloads using JMeter, k6, and custom performance harnesses.
  • Lead deep-dive performance analysis across distributed systems by analyzing CPU, memory, database, network, and execution-profiling metrics to identify bottlenecks and systemic performance issues across microservices and multi-tenant platform
  • Leverage AI and intelligent automation to transform quality and performance engineering from reactive validation into proactive, continuous engineering intelligence across the development lifecycle.


Required Qualifications & Experience
  • Experience: 12+ years of experience in software development, test automation framework architecture, and performance engineering in enterprise-grade SaaS or distributed systems environments.
  • Strong coding skills in at least one modern language: Java, Python, or TypeScript/Node.js.
  • Hands-on experience with modern UI and API testing frameworks (e.g., Playwright, Selenium WebDriver, Cypress, RestAssured, Postman).
  • Deep expertise with load and performance tools such as K6, JMeter, or Locust, alongside APM and observability tools like Grafana, Prometheus, New Relic, or Splunk.
  • Familiarity with AWS (or GCP/Azure), containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and CI/CD tools.
  • BS or MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.


Preferred / Nice-to-Have Skills
  • Salesforce Ecosystem: Prior experience with Apex, Lightning Web Components (LWC), Data Cloud, or Agentforce ecosystem testing.
  • AI-Driven Workflows: Experience utilizing AI coding/testing assistants (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor) or testing LLM/RAG pipelines.
  • Database Optimization: Strong understanding of SQL query tuning, indexing strategies, and relational/NoSQL database performance behavior.
  • Ability to support and resolve complex customer escalations through deep technical debugging, root-cause analysis, and effective cross-functional collaboration.


Unleash Your Potential

When you join Salesforce, you'll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we'll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future - but to redefine what's possible - for yourself, for AI, and the world.

About Salesforce

ExactTarget is a provider of on-demand email marketing software solutions. Their suite of on-demand one-to-one marketing applications enables clients to send business-critical and event-triggered communications to increase sales, optimize marketing investments, and strengthen customer relationships. They offer four editions of their on-demand software application along with integrated solutions such as ExactTarget for AppExchange and ExactTarget for [Microsoft](/organization/Microsoft) Dynamics CRM.

Salesforce Careers

Joining Salesforce means becoming part of a dynamic, global team of professionals who are deeply committed to driving customer success and innovation. As the world's leading Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, Salesforce offers unparalleled job opportunities in technology and consulting, making it an ideal place for ambitious individuals looking to make a significant impact.

Work You'll Do

At Salesforce, every position is a chance to leverage your skills and creativity to transform businesses and industries. Our diverse team of experts collaborates to deliver cutting-edge solutions that foster growth and enhance leadership capabilities. By joining our team, you'll be at the forefront of digital innovation, using Salesforce's powerful platform to help clients navigate their transformation journeys.

Innovate and Lead

Salesforce is not just a company; it's a community where you can lead with your ideas and see them come to life. Our culture of innovation encourages you to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of what's possible. With Salesforce, you'll work alongside leaders in technology and business who are committed to your growth and professional development.

Career Growth and Opportunities

Whether you're looking for an internship, a full-time position, or leadership roles, Salesforce provides a wealth of opportunities to advance your career. Our commitment to professional growth is reflected in our robust training programs, including leadership development and diversity training, designed to help you excel at every stage of your career.

Be Part of a Great Team

Salesforce prides itself on a culture that values diversity, teamwork, and open communication. We believe that our strength lies in our people, and we're committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive. Joining our team means being part of a supportive community that encourages networking and collaboration.

Benefits and Culture

At Salesforce, we understand that job satisfaction extends beyond the office. That's why we offer competitive benefits to support the health, well-being, and financial security of our employees and their families. From health insurance and retirement plans to wellness programs and flexible working arrangements, we provide the benefits that contribute to a better work-life balance.

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Market Cap
$130.4 billion
Industry
Net Income
$4 billion
Founded
2000
5 Year Trend
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