> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3137699-staff-software-engineer-data-platform-kubernetes-distributed-systems-federal](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3137699-staff-software-engineer-data-platform-kubernetes-distributed-systems-federal). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Staff Software Engineer - Data Platform - Kubernetes - Distributed Systems - Federal - **Company:** ServiceNow - **Location:** Santa Clara, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $149,800.0 - $262,200.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Code Review, Computer Programming, Continuous Integration, Data Infrastructure, Distributed Systems, Identity and Access Management, Key Management, Software Engineering, Google Cloud, Istio, Kubernetes, Infrastructure Automation Frameworks, Terraform, Servicenow - **Published:** September 29, 2026 - **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/D51862E3B2D348B1987886C347922675/job/ ## About the Role We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer (IC4 Level) to join our Data Platform Engineering organization. You are a strong hands-on contributor who will own well-scoped components and projects within the team and deliver them end-to-end., * Experience leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into engineering work - whether using AI-powered coding and operational tooling, automating workflows, or reasoning about how AI changes the way software and infrastructure are built. * 8+ years of software development experience with a Bachelor's degree; OR 5+ years with a Master's degree; OR 3+ years with a PhD; OR equivalent work experience. * 5+ years of hands-on experience building, deploying and operating workloads on Kubernetes. * Working experience with at least one major hyperscaler (AWS, Azure, GCP), including its core compute, networking, and IAM primitives. * A track record of delivering complex features or services as a key contributor. * Solid working knowledge of containers, CI/CD and GitOps-based delivery, and infrastructure-as-code. * Strong programming skills in Go (or another systems language with a willingness to work primarily in Go). It also helps if you have: * Experience building Kubernetes controllers or working with the operator pattern. * Familiarity with container networking (CNI) or service mesh. * Experience with workload identity, mTLS, or secrets management. * Experience with observability - metrics, tracing, and dashboards. * Experience with managed Kubernetes (EKS/AKS/GKE) and infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform. ## Description * You will design, build, and operate components and services within the cloud-native platform, taking features from design through to production. * You will lead well-scoped projects within your team, turning requirements and rough ideas into solid technical designs and delivering them. * You will collaborate with senior, staff, and principal engineers to align your work with the platform's architecture and standards. * You will contribute to the reliability, scalability, and operability of what you build - writing tests and instrumentation, improving runbooks, and participating in on-call. * You will spend most of your time hands-on building - operators, controllers, automation, and platform services that other teams depend on. * You will help onboard and mentor junior engineers through code review, design feedback, and pairing., We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here (https://careers.servicenow.com/life-at-servicenow#workpersonas) . To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service., For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities. ## Related Videos - [Shipping Faster with Less: Render on Cloud Hosting, AI Workloads, and the Future of DevOps](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1894-shipping-faster-with-less-render-on-cloud-hosting-ai-workloads-and-the-future-of-devops) - [Applying Agile Principles to Incident Management ](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/101-applying-agile-principles-to-incident-management) - [Infrastructure as Code: The Developer's Secret Weapon](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1221-infrastructure-as-code-the-developer-s-secret-weapon) - [Rate-limiting using eBPF and Istio: How to protect your SaaS customers from themselves](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100220-rate-limiting-using-ebpf-and-istio-how-to-protect-your-saas-customers-from-themselves) - [Crew Management System for Airlines: Plan duties for pilots & flight attendants worldwide](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1444-crew-management-system-for-airlines-plan-duties-for-pilots-flight-attendants-worldwide) - [AI in Production: applied AI & enterprise use cases](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100130-ai-in-production-applied-ai-enterprise-use-cases) ## Related Articles - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Best US AI Conferences for CTOs in 2026: Build vs. Buy, Vendor Evaluation, and Peer Intelligence](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/736-best-us-ai-conferences-for-ctos-in-2026-build-vs-buy-vendor-evaluation-and-peer-intelligence) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [What is Software Engineering in the Age of AI?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/640-what-is-software-engineering-in-the-age-of-ai) - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again)