Principal Engineer, Big Data Platform

Pinterest is hiring a Principal Engineer, Big Data Platform for a remote role open to applicants in United States. Level rates it ; you can apply on Pinterest.

Level's read on this job

Works on AI ●●●○ is how Level rates this role: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
The posting lists this role as remote.
Tools and skills the posting cites include PyTorch, TensorFlow and Flink.
Level classifies it as a lead role.
Level lists 167 other open roles at Pinterest.

AI in this role

Lead the strategy and technical direction of Pinterest's big data and AI infrastructure platforms.

PyTorchTensorFlowFlinkSparkKubernetesRayJavaGoScalaPython

big-datadistributed-systemsdata-infrastructure

About Pinterest:

Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product.

Discover a career where you ignite innovation for millions, transform passion into growth opportunities, celebrate each other’s unique experiences and embrace the flexibility to do your best work. Creating a career you love? It’s Possible.

At Pinterest, AI isn't just a feature, it's a powerful partner that augments our creativity and amplifies our impact, and we’re looking for candidates who are excited to be a part of that. To get a complete picture of your experience and abilities, we’ll explore your foundational skills and how you collaborate with AI.

Through our interview process, what matters most is that you can always explain your approach, showing us not just what you know, but how you think. You can read more about our AI interview philosophy and how we use AI in our recruiting process here.

We’re looking for a principal software engineer to lead the next generation of data infrastructure at Pinterest which powers mission critical big data and AI applications. You’ll be working on some of the most exciting big data and AI open source technologies (Flink, Spark, Kubernetes, etc.), at the scale of exabytes of data to help Pinners discover and do what they love.

What you’ll do:

Lead the strategy and technical direction of Pinterest’s data infrastructure for big data and AI applications
Build and scale data infra frameworks and infrastructure to process petabytes-scale datasets, including compute engines, job management, resource management, scheduling and remote shuffling
Work with internal customers on critical business use cases that rely on big data
Provide thought leadership to the entire company on how data should be processed and stored more reliably, quickly and efficiently at scale
Contribute to the team’s technical vision and long-term roadmap

What we’re looking for:

12+ years of industry experience with a proven track record of technical excellence
8+ years of experience of building and support large scalable Kubernetes or big data platform
Deep knowledge of big data / ML technologies (e.g. Flink, Spark, Presto, Kubernetes, Ray, PyTorch/TensorFlow)
Proficiency in one or more programming languages (Java, Go, Scala, Python)
Experiences in Kubernetes and AWS technologies
Exceptional collaboration skills with cross-functional partners, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, make tradeoffs, and keep stakeholders aligned on priorities and progress.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a related technical field, or equivalent experience.

In-Office Requirement Statement:

We let the type of work you do guide the collaboration style. That means we're not always working in an office, but we continue to gather for key moments of collaboration and connection.
This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 1-2 times/quarter and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.

Relocation Statement:

This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-CL5

At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee. In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.

Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.

US based applicants only$242,634—$499,541 USD

Our Commitment to Inclusion:

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support. By submitting this application, I certify that all information submitted in my application and throughout the hiring process is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation may disqualify me from employment consideration or result in termination if discovered after hire.

How we rate this

Principal Engineer, Big Data Platform at Pinterest rates 70 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Principal Engineer, Big Data Platform is an open job at Pinterest.
Level rates this role AI Level 3 of 4: Works on AI.
The role is based in San Francisco, CA, US; Remote, US and is marked remote.
The job was posted on September 2, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by Pinterest. Apply on Pinterest

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Big DataDistributed SystemsData InfrastructurePyTorchTensorFlowFlinkSparkKubernetes

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where big data was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where data infrastructure was part of your work. What did you do?
What's a project where you used PyTorch hands-on?
Walk me through how you've used TensorFlow in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Big Data, Distributed Systems, Data Infrastructure, PyTorch, and TensorFlow. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.

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