ClickUp is hiring a Principal Backend Engineer to own the long-term technical strategy and architectural vision for our core collaboration platforms. You will tackle ambiguous architectural puzzles across the full stack and transform a complex, mature architecture into a unified world-class platform. This is a hands-on, senior-level role focused on distributed systems and real-time collaboration.
What You'll Do
- Own the long-term technical strategy for ClickUp's core collaboration platforms, including real-time editing, live canvases, file uploads, and media streaming.
- Solve ambiguous architectural puzzles by diving deep across our full stack.
- Cultivate operational excellence by implementing architectural patterns that improve system reliability.
- Ship complex, multi-quarter initiatives that unify our collaborative surfaces.
- Mentor the next generation of technical guides and elevate ClickUp's engineering culture through your influence.
What We're Looking For
- A hands-on technical guide who thrives on solving complex problems spanning frontend, backend, and infrastructure.
- A T-shaped engineer with deep expertise in at least one complex domain like real-time collaboration, media pipelines, or distributed systems.
- Proven ability to incrementally transform legacy systems into scalable and maintainable platforms.
- Ability to guide through influence, aligning diverse stakeholders around a shared vision.
- Someone who sees complex architecture as an opportunity to deliver transformative improvements.
- A consistent problem-solver and catalyst for teams.
Nice to Have
- Specific experience with collaborative technologies.
Technical Stack
- Angular, Quill, WebSockets, Yjs, NodeJS, PostgreSQL, AWS
Team & Environment
We build with intention, being iterative, pragmatic, and focused. We trust our engineers with deep ownership and empower them to manage their work and time. We foster a culture where quality and long-term value are prized, and we create a high-trust environment where engineers can take smart risks, have candid conversations, and learn from failures without fear of blame.
Work Mode
This role is remote.
ClickUp is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
