Principal Software Engineer, Backend

The world still has coverage blind spots. You could help eliminate them at Skylo. Skylo has pioneered a standards-based approach to satellite connectivity. We connect smartphones and IoT devices directly to satellites. No special hardware, no entirely new networks. Just billions of existing devices, suddenly reachable anywhere on Earth. We're not building toward this future. We're already in it. Our direct-to-device service is live on millions of activated devices across five continents, covering more than 72 million square kilometers, in partnership with leading satellite operators, mobile network operators, Tier-1 chipset makers, and OEMs worldwide. And we're just getting started. At the heart of it all is Skylo's commercial NTN vRAN: a 3GPP standards-based, cloud-native platform that seamlessly bridges terrestrial and satellite networks. It's the infrastructure that makes true anywhere, anytime connectivity possible. When you join Skylo, you'll work at the intersection of three markets reshaping how the world stays connected: mass-market consumer devices, automotive, and industrial IoT. Enabling people outdoors and critical workflows in the world's most remote places.

This is a rare chance to work on technology that matters, at a company that's already proving it works About Skylo Skylo is a global Non-Terrestrial Network service provider based in Mountain View, CA, offering a service that allows smartphone and IoT cellular devices to connect directly over existing satellites. Skylo’s direct-to-device service is now live on millions of activated devices across five continents, with more than 60 million square kilometers of coverage, in partnership with multiple satellite operators, mobile network operators (MNOs), Tier-1 chipset makers, and OEMs. Devices connected over satellite are managed and served by Skylo's commercial NTN vRAN, featuring a 3GPP standards-based cloud-native base station and core. Skylo provides an anywhere, anytime connectivity solution that seamlessly roams between terrestrial and satellite networks. Our focus is on enabling connected services for people outdoors and connected workflows across three main verticals: mass-market consumer devices, automotive, and industrial IoT. This role is located in Bangalore, India where we are onsite 3 days a week in office.

Summary Of How You Will Impact Skylo Skylo is hiring a Principal Software Engineer for the Connectivity Platform team, you will be a technical cornerstone, helping fulfill Skylo's mission of making satellite connectivity available to all. This is a senior, hands-on Individual Contributor role for an architect-level engineer who is driven by technical excellence and has a passion for mentoring others. You will be a technical authority, responsible for driving the architecture, design, and implementation of our most critical product features and services. Your influence will extend across multiple functional groups, ensuring that our backend platform is scalable, resilient, and built to the highest standards. You will lead by example, setting the bar for engineering quality and guiding teams through complex technical challenges, elevating the skills of the entire team.

How You Will Contribute

• Architect and Design: Lead the design and architecture of complex, large-scale, and distributed backend systems. You will take ownership of critical architecture decisions, design patterns, and infrastructure choices.
• Drive Technical Strategy: Define and steer the technical strategy for major components and product features, working closely with engineering leadership, product managers, and other key stakeholders.
• Lead Implementation: Own and lead the implementation of large-scale features, from initial design and prototyping through to testing and deployment. You will be hands-on, solving the most challenging technical problems.
• Champion Engineering Excellence: Drive a culture of high quality and continuous improvement through rigorous code and design reviews. You will champion best practices like clean code, test-driven development (TDD), and DevOps maturity.
• Mentor and Advise: Act as a technical advisor and mentor to senior, mid-level, and junior engineers, promoting best practices and elevating the technical skills of the team.
• Ensure Quality and Security: Define component test scenarios, drive API test automation, and ensure high code coverage. You will implement and enforce security best practices throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Optimize and Scale: Identify performance bottlenecks and lead initiatives to optimize system performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Innovate and Evaluate: Evaluate and recommend emerging tools, technologies, and frameworks to keep our platform modern, efficient, and innovative.

What We Look For

• Experience: 13+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with a strong focus on backend development and the architecture of distributed systems.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Technical Leadership: A proven track record of technical leadership, including owning the design of major features, mentoring engineers, and successfully driving engineering-wide initiatives.
• Backend Expertise: Deep proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., Java, Go, Python). Extensive experience with microservices architecture, API design (REST, gRPC), and API documentation (Swagger/OpenAPI).
• Strong expertise in data stores (SQL and NoSQL), caching systems (Redis, Memcached), and message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ, or Pub/Sub).
• Cloud-Native Fluency: Solid understanding of cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure). Hands-on experience with containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and building robust CI/CD pipelines (ex. Jenkins, GitLab CI).
• Quality and Observability: Strong knowledge of engineering best practices, including automated testing frameworks (e.g., JUnit, TestNG).
• Experience with observability tools for monitoring, logging, and tracing (ex. Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/EFK stack, OpenTelemetry).
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and influence decisions through technical expertise.

What We Offer With employees working across three continents, Skylo is proud to be an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. Our worldwide and inclusive culture encourages a flexible approach to work, and we also offer an attractive range benefits such as:

• Competitive compensation packages including a stock option based equity program
• Comprehensive benefits plan
• Monthly allowances for wellness and education reimbursement
• A generous time off policy, holidays, and the opportunity to temporarily work abroad
• Once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of developing and running world’s first commercial, live direct-to-device satellite network and service
• Access to world-class team and talent across tech domains: software, hardware, chipsets, telecom, satellite and network virtualization
• Open, transparent, inclusive culture that blends the Silicon Valley, Nordic and South Asia characteristics

EEO Statement Skylo is an equal-opportunity employer and we celebrate diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, parent or caregiver status, political affiliation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. Please let us know if you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability.