At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead software development and improve GitHub's traffic management systems.
- Company: Join GitHub, the world's leading AI-powered developer platform.
- Benefits: Remote work, competitive pay, and generous learning opportunities.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive culture with excellent career growth potential.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on how millions build software globally.
- Qualifications: Extensive software engineering experience with strong coding skills.
The predicted salary is between 75600 - 92400 £ per year.
GitHub is the world's leading platform for agentic software development — powered by Copilot to build, scale, and deliver secure software.
In this role you can work from Remote, United Kingdom.
GitHub is changing the way the world builds software, and we want you to help lead this effort. As a Staff Software Engineer on the Traffic Team, you will work closely with a distributed, diverse, and passionate team of engineers to improve and maintain part of the platform that millions of developers worldwide rely on in their software development cycle. The Traffic Team is highly distributed, and you will thrive in an environment of remote work and asynchronous communication. As an engineer at GitHub, you'll always be challenged to solve interesting and novel problems that have a real impact on how the world builds software.
- Maintain and improve the GitHub Load Balancer, and other systems related to traffic management at GitHub
- Write, review, and maintain code primarily in Go and Ruby & Rails
- Mentor other engineers in their technical and architectural decision making
- Participate in the on-call rotation, and team meetings
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- 9+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Associate's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field AND 7+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Doctorate in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- 4+ years building and supporting large, high traffic applications at scale within platform/infrastructure domains
- 4+ years supporting and building cloud native workloads in Azure, AWS or Google Cloud
- 2+ years experience maintaining a Load Balancer with proven experience in abuse protection mechanisms for DDoS attacks, load shedding, etc.
- Experience with HAProxy, or any other open-source Load Balancer
- 2+ Years of Golang experience
- Experience building or maintaining planetary scale engineering systems
- Experience working with a remote, distributed team
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
GitHub values:
- Customer-obsessed
- Ship to learn
- Growth mindset
- Own the outcome
- Better together
- Diverse and inclusive
- Manager fundamentals
- Model
- Coach
- Care
- Leadership principles
- Create clarity
- Generate energy
- Deliver success
GitHub is the world's leading AI-powered developer platform with 150 million developers and counting. We're also home to the biggest open-source community on earth (and 99% of the world's software has open-source code in its DNA). Our teams are dreamers, doers, and pioneers, leading the way in AI, driving humanitarian efforts around the globe, and even sending open source to Mars (and beyond!).
We're remote-first and offer competitive pay, generous learning and growth opportunities, and excellent benefits to support you, wherever you are—because we know that people flourish when they can work on their own terms.
We embrace diversity and invite applications from people of all walks of life. We don't discriminate against employees or applicants based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, citizenship, disability, pregnancy status, veteran status, or any other differences. Also, if you have a disability, please let us know if there's any way we can make the interview process better for you.
Staff (Lead) Software Engineer employer: GitHub
GitHub is an exceptional employer that champions a remote-first work culture, allowing you to thrive in a diverse and inclusive environment while tackling meaningful challenges in software development. With competitive pay, generous learning opportunities, and a commitment to employee growth, GitHub empowers its engineers to make a real impact on the global developer community. Join us to be part of a pioneering team that values collaboration and innovation, all from the comfort of your own home in the United Kingdom.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff (Lead) Software Engineer
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at GitHub or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to GitHub.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like GitHub.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like GitHub that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff (Lead) Software Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at GitHub.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at GitHub and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at GitHub
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If GitHub uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
