Senior Staff Software Engineer

Company: Google
Location: Seattle
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

info_outline X In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include: Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment Sick Time: 40 hours/year (statutory, where applicable); 5 days/event (discretionary) Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks Holidays: 13 paid days per year Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: Seattle, WA, USA; Sunnyvale, CA, USA . Minimum qualifications: Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience. 8 years of experience programming in C++. 5 years of experience with design and architecture; and testing/launching software products. 3 years of experience on C++, Linux Internals, Operating Systems, Debugging/Troubleshooting. Preferred qualifications: 8 years of experience with data structures and algorithms. 5 years of experience in a technical leadership role leading project teams and setting technical direction. 3 years of experience working in a complex, matrixed organization involving cross-functional, or cross-business projects. Understanding of the Operating System (OS) vendor ecosystem and the process of linux releases, cadence, patches etc. Ability to influence others through deep and detailed technical analysis with schedules, performance, and other trade-offs considered. About the job Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward. The Google Cloud AI Research team addresses AI challenges motivated by Google Cloud’s mission of bringing AI to tech, healthcare, finance, retail and many other industries. We work on a range of unique problems focused on research topics that maximize scientific and real-world impact, aiming to push the state-of-the-art in AI and share findings with the broader research community. We also collaborate with product teams to bring innovations to real-world impact that benefits our customers. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $262,000-$365,000 bonus equity benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Learn more about benefits at Google . Responsibilities Establish and advocate the technical goal and strategy for the OS image portfolio, aligning with the organization's overall goals and customer needs which includes decisions on supported OS versions, image hardening, performance optimizations, and integration with platform services and help drive our own OS Image’s roadmap to ensure both 1P and 3P customer needs are met. Lead the charge on defining a comprehensive strategy to ensure we are qualifying and delivering operating system images that work out of the box and satisfy product requirements. Drive the security posture of the OS images, ensuring they are hardened, regularly scanned for vulnerabilities, and patched in a timely manner. Engage with OS vendors and the open-source community to stay informed about updates, best practices, and potential collaborations. Stay abreast of emerging security threats and implement mitigation strategies.

Keywords: Google, Redmond , Senior Staff Software Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Seattle, Washington