Principal Software Engineer

We are seeking a Principal Engineer to lead the design, evolution, and reliability of our global financial data extraction and normalization platform. This system ingests filings across formats (HTML, PDF, APIs, spreadsheets), extracts and standardizes financial data using a combination of AI and deterministic systems, and delivers trusted, traceable outputs at scale to downstream financial services teams and customers.

This role owns the self-sourcing and extraction foundation used by multiple teams across the organization. Today, human validation is used as a safety net. Your mission is to systematically reduce human dependency by increasing system correctness, confidence, and trust, without sacrificing speed or scalability.

You will operate at the intersection of distributed systems, AI-driven extraction, data quality, and platform architecture, raising the technical bar and reshaping how we build reliable systems.

15+ years of experience building and operating large-scale production systems

Proven experience designing data ingestion, extraction, or processing systems at scale

Deep expertise in one or more of: Distributed systems Data platforms and pipelines AI/ML-powered extraction or classification systems Platform or infrastructure engineering

Distributed systems

Data platforms and pipelines

AI/ML-powered extraction or classification systems

Platform or infrastructure engineering

Demonstrated ability to design trustworthy systems that combine probabilistic (AI) and deterministic approaches

Strong understanding of system reliability, observability, failure modes, and iterative hardening

Experience reducing operational or human overhead through better system design

Track record of technical leadership across teams without formal people management

Comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving clarity where none exists

Passion for using AI responsibly and effectively to deliver scalable, high-confidence systems

Nice to Have Experience with document understanding, NLP, or financial data extraction Experience building provenance, lineage, or confidence-scoring systems Familiarity with cloud-native architectures and modern data stacks Experience shaping or owning internal platforms used by multiple teams

Experience with document understanding, NLP, or financial data extraction

Experience building provenance, lineage, or confidence-scoring systems

Familiarity with cloud-native architectures and modern data stacks

Experience shaping or owning internal platforms used by multiple teams

Own the architecture and evolution of our large-scale data extraction and normalization platform

Design systems that process hundreds of thousands of records across heterogeneous sources (PDF, HTML, APIs, XLS) with high reliability

Define and implement strategies to minimize human-in-the-loop validation through AI-based validation, confidence scoring, provenance tracking, and deterministic safeguards

Establish clear system contracts for correctness, traceability, and confidence (e.g., “where did this number come from?”)

Balance AI-driven approaches with procedural and rules-based systems where they improve reliability and explainabilityIdentify and remediate architectural and operational bottlenecks impacting scale, accuracy, and developer velocity

Act as the technical authority to block poor designs, redesign critical systems, and introduce new platforms or tooling when necessary

Partner with product and downstream consumers to define quality bars, SLAs, and success metrics

Serve as a technical escalation point for production issues, reliability failures, and systemic risks

Mentor senior engineers, shape technical culture, and raise expectations for system design and execution

Contribute to long-term technical strategy while remaining hands-on with critical implementations

For base compensation, we set standard ranges for all roles based on function and level benchmarked against similar stage growth companies and internal comparables. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience/expertise and may vary from the amounts listed below.

You may also be offered equity, and a generous benefits program.

AlphaSense is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals. All employees share in the responsibility for fulfilling AlphaSense’s commitment to equal employment opportunity. AlphaSense does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, military or veteran status, disability, or any other non-merit factor. This policy applies to every aspect of employment at AlphaSense, including recruitment, hiring, training, advancement, and termination.

In addition, it is the policy of AlphaSense to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees who have protected disabilities to the extent required by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances where a particular employee works.

Recruiting Scams and Fraud

We at AlphaSense have been made aware of fraudulent job postings and individuals impersonating AlphaSense recruiters. These scams may involve fake job offers, requests for sensitive personal information, or demands for payment. Please note:

AlphaSense never asks candidates to pay for job applications, equipment, or training.

All official communications will come from an @ alpha-sense.com email address.

If you’re unsure about a job posting or recruiter, verify it on our Careers page .

If you believe you’ve been targeted by a scam or have any doubts regarding the authenticity of any job listing purportedly from or on behalf of AlphaSense please contact us. Your security and trust matter to us.