{"id":3089835,"url":"https://alion.io/job/parallels-principal-backend-engineer","title":"Principal Backend Engineer","company":{"id":15373,"name":"Parallels","domain":"parallels.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/parallels","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"ADP","truth_index":null},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"inferred_payroll_markers","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":["US"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":{"min":130000,"max":140000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":140000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Agile","optional":false},{"name":"Apache Kafka","optional":false},{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Celery","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Clean Architecture","optional":false},{"name":"Go","optional":false},{"name":"PostgreSQL","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"RabbitMQ","optional":false},{"name":"Redis","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"Scrum","optional":false},{"name":"AI Agents","optional":true},{"name":"Azure","optional":true},{"name":"Django","optional":true},{"name":"GraphQL","optional":true},{"name":"Kubernetes","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-22T11:39:30Z","employer_posted_date":null,"last_verified_at":"2026-10-22T11:39:30Z","board_verified":false,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"not_scored","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":4},"description":"Parallels has an immediate vacancy for this role.\n\nPush the boundaries of tech. In your sweatpants.\n\nWe’re looking for an experienced Principal Backend Engineer to help us change the way the world works, withParallels:anytime, anywhere, any-device productivity. Here, you’ll drive the outbound prospecting effort by executing strategic prospecting campaigns to target accounts and executive personas with our Parallels team.\n\nThe top creative and technical minds could work anywhere.So why are so many of them choosing Parallels? Here are three reasons:\n\nThis is the moment.It’s an exciting time at Parallels, with strong leadership, a refreshed brand, and a whole new approach to changing the way the world works. We’re at the forefront of a movement, and we want you to ride this wave with us.\n\nWe want you to be you.Too often, companies tell you about their culture and then expect you to fit it. Our culture is built from the people who work here. We want you to feel safe to be who you are, take risks, and show us what you’ve got.\n\nIt’s your world.We know you have a life. We want to be part of it, but not all of it. At Parallels, we’re serious about empowering people to work when, how, and where they want. Couch? Sweatpants? Cool with us. We believe that happy employees mean happy customers. That’s why we hire amazing people and get out of their way.\n\nSound good so far? Awesome. Let’s talk more about thePrincipal Backend Engineer roleand see if we’re destined to be together.\n\nRequirements\n\nExpert knowledge of modern backend infrastructureand asynchronous messaging/storage (RabbitMQ, Celery, Kafka, PostgreSQL, Redis, etc.).\n\nSolid foundation in Python (or deep expertise in Go/C++/Rust with a working knowledge of Python)coupled with the engineering maturity to quickly master the Python backend ecosystem.\n\nExtensive Backend Experiencewith a proven track record in principal-level roles designing complex, distributed systems.\n\nPragmatic Architectural Mastery.Expertise in designing highly cohesive, loosely coupled systems. Deep understanding of software design patterns and architectural methodologies such as Domain-Driven Design, Clean Architecture, Hexagonal combined with the clear judgment on when simpler approaches are better.\n\nStrong background in designing client APIs.Not just individual APIs or groups, but the entire API schema and contract of a system.\n\nDeep understanding of cloud architecture, containerization, and CI/CD pipelines.\n\nDemonstrated ability to influence engineering practices, drive technical consensus, andlead complex architectural transitions across multiple teams.\n\nYou have skills and authority to coach and mentor the team. You have skills or knowledge the team can learn from you.\n\nExperience working in Agile/Scrum environments.\n\nNice to have\n\nExperience with Azure as a cloud platform.\n\nExperience designing and implementing GraphQL APIs.\n\nExperience with Kubernetes or other container orchestration tools.\n\nExperience implementing Identity Management in enterprise applications (SCIM provisioning, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, SAML).\n\nPolyglot background:Experience with Golang, Rust, or C++ for performance-critical domains.\n\nSpec-Driven Development (SDD) & AI-Native Engineering.Experience designing formal, machine-readable specifications and strict contracts, tests as the single source of truth. You know how to define strict system boundaries and executable contracts that constrain AI agents, ensuring they accelerate code generation without introducing architectural drift or spaghetti code.\n\nWhat You’ll Do\n\nDrive and define architectural roadmaps for backend systems.\n\nArchitect and lead the strategic decomposition of a mature Django application into scalable, asynchronous microservices.\n\nDefine technical strategy, tech stack, and how code is organized across repositories.Make critical build-vs-buy decisions, including evaluating whether to proceed with internal implementation vs. using a 3rd-party tool.\n\nWrite code for the most complex, critical system mechanisms.While you won't be fixing everyday bugs, you will implement the most critical mechanisms, and features for the business. Help teammates when needed.\n\nArchitect secure and scalable integration patternsacross the system, establishing best practices for 3rd-party integrations, identity management, and SSO/SCIM integrations.\n\nRedefine system architecture & designby auditing existing microservices and implementing strict bounded contexts.\n\nDesign robust, scalable, and standardized APIs. Take ownership of the cloud architecture strategy with a strong emphasis on backend resilience, fault tolerance, and performance.\n\nAct as the technical cornerstone for the engineering team.Partner directly with engineering leadership to define and enforce technical standards. You will have the organizational backing to drive complex architectural transitions across a team of 7-8 engineers.\n\nAbout Parallels\n\nParallels is a top VDI/EUC product helping businesses since 1999. Whether it's desktop or cloud, on-prem or hybrid, Parallels delivers speed, security, and affordability for the modern work environment.\n\nIt is our policy and practice to offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetics, or any other protected characteristic.\n\nParallels is committed to an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process and work environment. If you are contacted for a job opportunity, please advise us of any accommodations required. Appropriate accommodation will be provided upon request as required by law.\n\nOriginally posted on Himalayas","description_format":"text","description_chars":5764,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Virtualization & Containers"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-22T14:31:15Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":3,"expected_fill_days":28,"reasons":["seen:3","velocity","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-26T05:57:25Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":140000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/parallels-principal-backend-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/parallels-principal-backend-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-26T20:04:53Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":27047,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-27T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":15373},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=15373"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fparallels-principal-backend-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fparallels-principal-backend-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fparallels-principal-backend-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/parallels-principal-backend-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fparallels-principal-backend-engineer"}]}