Principal Backend Engineer at Axon - AWS/Azure Lead in Columbus

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we're on a mission to Protect Life. We're explorers, pursuing society's most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you'll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Your Impact

This role is primarily for the DEMS Ingestion team, which is responsible for the upload of evidence files from both 3rd party clients and Axon devices such as Body Worn Cameras. We deal with large throughput upload requests (~Terabytes) and have an increasing need for a strong grasp of multi-cloud architecture (AWS & Azure).

The team is largely backend-focused, leveraging mainly GoLang and Scala. Cloud technologies include blob storage, CDNs, stateful APIs, multi-part file upload, end-to-end encryption, SQL, event-driven infrastructure, and caching. We are also making increasing use of AI to accelerate our development process through improved quality guardrails.

An ideal candidate would be a strong backend engineer with a mind for system design across multi-cloud infrastructure. They should be a strong communicator of complex technical details and able to consider a wide range of use-case scenarios and risks in their designs.

They should also possess well-developed leadership soft skills, as this role is expected to lead other engineers and act as a force multiplier for the team as a whole. They should have a strong technical foundation that others on the team can rely on, and be approachable and willing to help their team grow.

What You'll Do

Location: This role is based out of our Seattle Office and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in-person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite Tuesdays through Fridays, with the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation. We believe that connection fuels innovation, and our in-office culture is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success.
Direct Reports: Manager of Software Engineering

• Design and develop scalable, secure, high-performance software in this mission-critical space
• Lead technical projects from concept to launch, ensuring solutions meet business and technical requirements
• Collaborate across teams with Product, Design, and Engineering to create solutions that delight customers
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship for engineers across the group
• Help define a technical vision both within the team and the greater organization
• Partner with Engineering Managers, Directors, and Staff Engineers to define a strategic technical vision and direction for the group
• Lead engineering architecture design reviews and provide feedback through channels like PR reviews
• Write and review design documents, library proposals, and technical vision documents
• Define and manage roadmaps for the technical backlog
• Continuously evaluate and improve engineering processes across the group to enhance efficiency and effectiveness

What You Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years of professional software development experience
• Experience designing and delivering highly-available, scalable cloud-based systems
• Full-stack development experience in languages such as Go, Scala, Java, TypeScript, JavaScript, C#, or similar
• Experience working with SQL or NoSQL data stores
• Experience with real-time streaming event log or messaging technologies, such as Kafka or ActiveMQ
• (Bonus) Experience with a front-end framework such as React
• (Bonus) Experience with mobile development
• (Bonus) Experience with an automated testing framework like Selenium, Puppeteer, or Playwright, or automated API testing

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• Learning & Development programs
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

Axon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation is made up of base pay, bonus, and stock awards. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: level, function, training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, geographic market, and often a combination of all these factors. Our benefits offer an array of options to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. To see more details on our benefits offerings please visit https://www.axon.com/careers.

Base Pay Range: $148,500 — $237,600 USD

Don't meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you're excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Important Notes

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

We collect personal information from applicants to evaluate candidates for employment. You may request access, deletion, or exercise other CCPA rights at [email protected] or via our Axon Privacy Web Form. For more information, please see the Your California Privacy Rights section of our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice.

Axon's mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon's impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We're committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [email protected]. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.

Phishing alert: Axon will never ask you to pay for any part of the hiring process, including training, equipment, or background checks. We do not make job offers via text message, WhatsApp, or instant messaging platforms without a formal interview process. All legitimate job openings are listed on our official careers page at https://www.axon.com/careers. If you receive a suspicious offer or outreach from an email address that is not @axon.com, or if you are asked for sensitive personal information (bank details, Social Security Number) prematurely, please ignore the message and report it to [email protected].