Senior Principal Backend Engineer, Conversational AI
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 2, 2026. First seen by Alion on Jul 22, 2026.
About Trellis
Trellis is rewriting the insurance experience from the inside out. We’re the tech company behind Savvy, our licensed insurance agency, and we’re bringing clarity and ease to a space known for… the opposite. With powerful tools, clean design, and a customer-first mindset, we’re making insurance shopping refreshingly effortless.
We’re a profitable, fast-growing Series A startup backed by General Catalyst, QED, NYCA, and Amex Ventures. As a remote-first team, we move quickly, experiment boldly, and build with intention.
If you’re craving meaningful impact, energized by ambiguity, and are ready to build alongside exceptional teammates, you’re going to love doing your best work at Trellis.
Position Overview
As a Senior Principal Software Engineer on the Conversational AI team at Savvy (Trellis), you’ll play a critical role in shaping the future of our AI-driven customer experiences. You’ll architect and build intelligent systems that power natural, engaging conversations between users and our platform. Working closely with cross-functional partners, you’ll transform high-level product initiatives into scalable, well-tested technical solutions.
You’ll lead the way on complex projects by defining scope, setting technical direction, and mentoring teammates along the way. You’ll guide the team through tough challenges, offer thoughtful code reviews, and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and collaboration. Whether you're onboarding new teammates or refining our LLM-driven infrastructure, you’ll be a key force behind our AI innovation.
You will report directly into John Hartley, Head of Conversational AI.
What You’ll Do
Own the ideation and execution of high-impact projects that directly influence the user experience and business outcomes
Flesh out and evolve the Conversational AI Engineering roadmap alongside product and technical leadership
Incept projects: identify opportunities, design solutions, and lead implementation
Guide integration efforts with external agencies and insurance carriers
Normalize, rank, and evaluate results using ML-based predictions to determine optimal user paths
Work closely with our Data Science team to leverage MLMs in tools like DataRobot for retention forecasting and decision logic
Ensure scalability and performance across the platform as we continue to grow
What You’ll Need
While you don’t need all of these to be successful in this role, we think you’ll be more successful the more you have.
7+ years’ experience developing software in a production environment
4+ years’ experience in a senior engineer role
Ability to lead projects from conception through execution
Production experience with Node.js and Typescript
Proven experience working in backend systems, designing RESTful APIs and codifying business logic on top of data stores
Familiarity with GCP, Looker, BigQuery are a plus
Exceptional ability to communicate clearly and concisely, particularly in Slack and technical documents
Experience in product development where you were a key decision maker
Cross-functional leadership and collaboration experience
Who You Are
Meticulous: You pay attention to detail and take pride in what you deliver
Articulate: You succinctly and effectively communicate verbal and written technical and non-technical ideas and topics
Kind, not (just) nice: You provide tough feedback in a clear and concise manner that does not diminish or belittle the recipient
Opinionated: You bring strong opinions to discussions but are willing to change your mind when presented with new or better information
Product-minded: You focus on the “why” just as much as the “what” or “how”
Collaborative: You work within your team and cross-functionally to build consensus and achieve results
Autonomous: You are self-motivated, able to hold yourself accountable, and can generate high-value work with little direct supervision
Why Trellis? Because you deserve a career that’s exciting, meaningful, and surrounded by people who lift you up.
We’re a group of curious, mission-driven humans rewriting the insurance experience and having a lot of fun along the way. At Trellis, you’ll make a real impact on a product millions rely on, and grow alongside a company that’s scaling fast.
What sets Trellis apart:
A transparent, collaborative culture where ideas win, not titles
Big opportunities to take ownership and chart your growth
Competitive compensation (75th+ percentile)
Fully remote across the US & Canada
Quarterly virtual and/or in-person events that keep us connected
Plus, the benefits are built to support yourwhole life:
Flexible vacation (yes, actually flexible)
Health insurance starts day one
Wellness programming, because balance matters
401(k) and HSA contributions, FSAs, bonuses & equity opportunities
Paid parental leave
If you want a role where you’ll grow, be trusted, and build something that genuinely improves people’s lives, Trellis is the place. Join us.
We are an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Note: all employees must complete a background check prior to starting employment with Trellis or its subsidiaries