Saildrone

Saildrone

Staff Software Engineer, Developer Experience - Bazel

Alameda, California, United States · Staff+

Sponsorship not specified$176k-$227kDetected 7 days ago
JavaScriptTypeScriptPythonGoC++Code ReviewCI/CDDevOpsPlatform EngineeringSalesBusiness DevelopmentLeadershipCollaborationMentoring

About the role

  • Saildrone is seeking a Staff Engineer, Developer Experience - Bazel who will serve as a technical leader on our Developer Experience team.
  • You will split your time between hands-on technical work and managing one direct report, supporting their growth and ensuring effective execution of team goals.

Responsibilities

  • Design, evolve, and maintain Bazel-based build systems across our polyglot monorepo to achieve industry-leading build speeds and reliability across the entire Saildrone software stack.
  • Partner with Software Leadership and TPMs to align on requirements and timelines, ensuring seamless integration of build systems with deployment workflows.
  • Share responsibility for CI systems as a whole alongside the broader Software Infrastructure team, contributing to the reliability, performance, and evolution of pipelines that support the entire Saildrone software stack.
  • Define and document standards for BUILD file authorship, dependency management, and Bazel hygiene to ensure knowledge sharing and maintainable, high-quality build configurations across the engineering organization.
  • Diagnose and resolve complex technical blockers, including dependency management issues and build graph correctness problems, implementing durable fixes to prevent recurrence.
  • Manage one direct report, providing regular 1:1s, career development guidance, and performance feedback, while also serving as the internal subject matter expert on Bazel and build system architecture across the broader engineering organization.
  • You will work across engineering teams to improve build correctness, hermeticity, speed, and developer productivity at scale - shaping the build and test infrastructure that engineers across Saildrone depend on every day.
  • At Saildrone, we're building operational capability that matters-and that requires people who can do their best work over the long term.

Requirements

  • 1+ years of people management experience, including setting goals, delivering performance feedback, and supporting the career development of direct reports.
  • Deep expertise with Bazel, including writing custom rules, macros, and toolchain integrations using Starlark.
  • Proficiency in one or more languages commonly used with Bazel (e.g., C++, Python, Go, TypeScript).
  • Experience with CI/CD systems and DevOps workflows.
  • Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex technical systems in environments with ambiguity and time constraints.
  • 8+ years of software engineering experience, with significant hands-on experience designing or operating large-scale build systems.
  • Proven experience supporting Bazel in a large-scale monorepo, managing build graph complexity, dependency boundaries, and cross-team coordination.

Nice to have

  • Experience with Gazelle, rules_go, rules_js, rules_python, or other popular Bazel rule sets.
  • Contributions to open-source Bazel rules or the Bazel project itself.
  • Actual compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and qualifications.

Compensation

  • $176,400 - $226,800 USD

Benefits

  • Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to support you and your family while you contribute to a mission with lasting significance.
  • Generous Time Off: Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO) accrual plus a robust annual holiday schedule and paid sick leave ensure you can rest, reset, and sustain performance over time.
  • Comprehensive Health Coverage: Premium, multi-tier Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with significant company contributions for employees and dependents-providing security and peace of mind.
  • Shared Ownership in the Mission: Equity grants are a core part of our compensation, allowing you to participate in the long-term value you help create through meaningful, operational work.
  • Retirement Savings: Access to a 401(k) retirement plan with flexible pre-tax and Roth payroll contribution options supports long-term financial planning.

Company info

  • The Software Infrastructure & Platform Engineering team is responsible for the systems and tooling that enable Saildrone's software teams to build, test, and deploy reliable software at scale.
  • We focus on delivering robust, efficient build and release pipelines that support autonomous systems operating in remote and high-stakes maritime environments.
  • This team's work directly impacts Saildrone's ability to deliver real-time intelligence, maritime domain awareness, and mission-critical capabilities for government and commercial customers.
  • Bazel Architecture: Design, evolve, and maintain Bazel-based build systems across our polyglot monorepo to achieve industry-leading build speeds and reliability across the entire Saildrone software stack.
  • Build Performance: Identify and resolve bottlenecks in remote caching, remote execution (RBE), query performance, and incremental builds, ensuring high developer productivity through rigorous monitoring and optimization.
  • Adoption & Migration: Lead efforts to onboard new languages, toolchains, and teams onto Bazel, including writing custom rules, macros, and toolchain configurations using Starlark.
  • Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with Software Leadership and TPMs to align on requirements and timelines, ensuring seamless integration of build systems with deployment workflows.
  • CI Ownership: Share responsibility for CI systems as a whole alongside the broader Software Infrastructure team, contributing to the reliability, performance, and evolution of pipelines that support the entire Saildrone software stack.
  • Standards & Documentation: Define and document standards for BUILD file authorship, dependency management, and Bazel hygiene to ensure knowledge sharing and maintainable, high-quality build configurations across the engineering organization.
  • Technical Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve complex technical blockers, including dependency management issues and build graph correctness problems, implementing durable fixes to prevent recurrence.
  • People Management & Mentorship: Manage one direct report, providing regular 1:1s, career development guidance, and performance feedback, while also serving as the internal subject matter expert on Bazel and build system architecture across the broader engineering organization.
  • Ecosystem Engagement: Stay current with the Bazel roadmap and community; contribute upstream to open-source Bazel rules or tooling where appropriate.

Equal opportunity

  • Saildrone is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
  • equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Apply directly at Saildrone →Create a free account for alerts like thisView Saildrone immigration profile

This listing is sourced directly from Saildrone's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.