Staff Software Engineer

Ready to shape the future of AI infrastructure and build systems that power the most advanced unstructured data pipelines in the world? At Unstructured, we’re building the backbone of generative AI, enabling companies to transform PDFs, HTML, Word docs, images, and more into high-performance data pipelines that scale. Our tools are already used by half of the Fortune 500, and our open-source package has been downloaded 52+ million times. Now we’re entering our next chapter, and we’re hiring a Staff Software Engineer to help lead the charge. We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer to help define and deliver Unstructured’s enterprise level featureset. This team builds the critical features that enable large customers to securely onboard, operate, and scale on our platform identity and access controls, dashboards, usage metering and billing. In this role, you’ll set technical direction for high-impact initiatives, mentor engineers through complex problem spaces, and ensure our enterprise foundations are robust, extensible, and built for long-term growth. Location(s) Preferred: San Francisco, Bay Area, San Jose, Seattle, Sacramento What You’ll Own & Drive: Architect the Future Own the technical vision for some of the most complex and high-impact systems we build. Drive long-term architectural strategy that enables scale, performance, and simplicity. Be a Builder and a Multiplier Write production-ready code and lead projects that move the needle, while also mentoring engineers across the org. Set the standard for clean design, thoughtful abstractions, and scalable patterns. Tackle High-Stakes Problems Solve deep technical challenges that others shy away from, think orchestration at scale, data flow optimization, and AI-first infrastructure. Lead Cross-Org Initiatives Align engineering, product, and go-to-market teams around a shared technical roadmap. Unblock teams, resolve architectural escalations, and help guide us through “one-way door” decisions. What You Bring 7 to 10+ years of experience shipping production systems in high-growth, high-scale environments. Deep technical experience in cloud-native systems (AWS/GCP/Azure), and distributed architectures. Strong understanding of cloud security fundamentals (IAM, least privilege, secrets management, data protection) in modern distributed systems. Proven track record of leading major technical initiatives, mentoring engineers, and shaping team culture. Passion for performance, reliability, and elegant design. Strong communication and leadership presence, you make others better. Bonus Points Experience in AI/ML systems, unstructured data, or real-time pipelines. Expertise in Kubernetes, IaC, or scaling SaaS infrastructure. Startup DNA - you thrive in fast-moving environments and love turning ambiguity into action. Why You’ll Love It Here Real Impact: You’ll be at the center of some of the most exciting work happening in AI today. Big Challenges: You won’t be bored. Our technical problems are meaty, meaningful, and novel Elite Team: Join a crew of sharp, low-ego builders obsessed with quality and execution. Fast Growth: We’re scaling fast. This is your chance to build foundational tech and shape a company’s future.