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Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Remote only
At Cotality, we are driven by a single mission—to make the property industry faster, smarter, and more people-centric. Cotality is the trusted source for property intelligence, with unmatched precision, depth, breadth, and insights across the entire ecosystem. Our talented team of 5,000 employees globally uses our network, scale, connectivity and technology to drive the largest asset class in the world. Join us as we work toward our vision of fueling a thriving global property ecosystem and a more resilient society.
Cotality is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive work culture that inspires innovation and bold thinking; it's a place where you can collaborate, feel valued, develop skills and directly impact the real estate economy. We know our people are our greatest asset. At Cotality, you can be yourself, lift people up and make an impact. By putting clients first and continuously innovating, we're working together to set the pace for unlocking new possibilities that better serve the property industry.
Job Description:
Role Overview
We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership for our Location Services team. This role is responsible for shaping architecture, driving cross‑team technical strategy, and ensuring the scalability, correctness, and operational excellence of location‑based systems across the company.
The Principal Engineer operates with broad scope and influence, partnering closely with engineering leaders, product teams, and stakeholders to align technical outcomes with business priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Architecture
Own and evolve the architecture of core Location Services and geospatial capabilities
Lead system design for highly scalable, low‑latency, and highly available location‑based services
Define standards and best practices for geospatial data modeling, querying, and processing
Evaluate and introduce new technologies, patterns, and frameworks where they provide material benefit
Platform Ownership & Delivery
Serve as technical owner for critical geospatial components and services
Guide teams through complex technical initiatives spanning multiple services or domains
Ensure solutions meet requirements for performance, accuracy, reliability, and security
Actively influence roadmap direction through technical insight and risk assessment
Cross‑Team Influence
Partner with product, data, and infrastructure teams to align technical direction with business goals
Provide technical insights to multiple engineering teams consuming Location Services
Resolve cross‑cutting technical issues and reduce architectural fragmentation
Operational Excellence
Drive improvements in observability, resilience, and fault tolerance for geospatial systems
Lead root‑cause analysis for significant production issues and ensure long‑term corrective action
Champion automation, testing strategies, and reliability engineering practices
Mentorship & Engineering Culture
Mentor senior and mid‑level engineers, strengthening overall technical capability
Set a high bar for engineering rigor, system design quality, and documentation
Act as a role model for pragmatic decision‑making and long‑term systems thinking
Job Qualifications:
Required Qualifications
10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with demonstrated senior technical leadership
Deep experience designing and operating large‑scale distributed systems
Strong expertise in geospatial concepts, such as:
Spatial data models and indexing
Geospatial queries, transformations, and projections
Location accuracy, precision, and data quality considerations
Proficiency in one or more backend programming languages (e.g., Java, C++, Python)
Experience building and operating cloud‑native services (e.g., GCP, AWS, or Azure)
Strong understanding of data storage technologies (relational, NoSQL, time‑series, or geospatial databases)
Proven ability to influence technical direction across teams without direct authority
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical trade‑offs to diverse audiences
Preferred Qualifications
Prior ownership of location‑based or geospatial platforms in production environments
Experience with real‑time or near‑real‑time location processing pipelines
Familiarity with geospatial tooling and standards
Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
Background in reliability engineering, performance tuning, and scalability testing
Experience guiding architectural decisions in a platform or shared‑services organization
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Annual Pay Range:
134,400 - 199,000 USDApplication Window:
This opportunity is expected to remain posted through the date identified below, subject to business needs.
2026-06-16Thrive with Cotality
At Cotality, we offer more than just a job, we provide a benefits experience designed to support your whole self. From a flexible working model to competitive time off and standout health coverage with meaningful perks and growth opportunities, our package is built to help you thrive at work and in life.
Highlights, depending on role classification, include:
Time off: Generous PTO and 11 paid holidays, plus well-being and volunteer time off.
Family Support: Up to 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave and a baby stipend.
Health: Multiple medical plan options with mental health and wellness support offerings.
Retirement: 401(k) with company match and vesting after one year.
Financial Perks: $400 annual well-being stipend and tuition assistance up to $5,250.
Extras: Recognition Rewards, Referral bonuses, exclusive discounts and more!
Please note, Qualifications, locations and experience of the individual ultimately selected for the position may impact the final actual offered compensation, which may vary from the posted range
Cotality is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to attracting and retaining the best-qualified people available, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability or status as a veteran of the Armed Forces, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Cotality maintains a Drug-Free Workplace.
Cotality is fully committed to a work environment that embraces everyone’s unique contributions, experiences and values. We offer an empowered work environment that encourages creativity, initiative and professional growth and provides a competitive salary and benefits package. We are better together when we support and recognize our differences.
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