Senior Staff Software Engineer, API

Overview

Senior Staff Software Engineer for the Claude Developer Platform, serving as the senior-most individual contributor across API Engineering and setting org-wide technical direction for the Claude API.

What you'll do

• Define and drive multi-year technical strategy for the Claude API across multiple API Engineering teams.
• Lead the highest-complexity, highest-impact engineering initiatives spanning multiple teams.
• Act as the primary technical decision-maker for major, org-wide architectural decisions.
• Partner with Research to evaluate and integrate frontier capabilities.
• Collaborate with Inference and Platform to deliver the API reliably at scale.
• Work with Infrastructure and Safeguards on reliability, security, and responsible deployment.
• Mentor and develop Staff-level engineers and drive alignment across Product, GTM, and Safety while addressing systemic technical risks.

What you'll need

• 12+ years of engineering experience and a track record operating at Staff or Senior Staff level.
• Experience shaping technical strategy for large-scale API or distributed systems platforms.
• Strong distributed systems and API architecture expertise.
• Ability to write design docs, make architectural calls, and code in critical paths.
• Effectiveness across org boundaries with clear communication to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience mentoring/developing engineers at Staff level (as described for the role).

Details

• Annual compensation range: $405,000–$485,000 USD.
• Location preference for candidates based in New York or the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Location-based hybrid policy: expected to be in an office at least 25% of the time.
• Visa sponsorship is available (not guaranteed for every role/candidate).