Principal Software Engineer

Principal Full-Stack / Software Engineer
Own the stack. Shape the future of the #1 used bus marketplace in the world.

Who we are
BusesForSale.com is not your average dealership—we’re building the world’s largest and smartest marketplace for buses. Our customers range from schools to startups to adventure seekers, and we’re on a mission to reinvent how vehicles get bought and sold online.

We’re scrappy, fast, and customer-obsessed. We ship big ideas, not red tape.

The role
We’re looking for a Principal Full-Stack Engineer who thrives on ownership. You’ll be the person who keeps our frontend humming, our backend bulletproof, our infra solid, and our dev team sharp. Think architect + builder + mentor.

This is a hands-on role: you’ll be in the code daily, setting standards, solving scaling puzzles, and pushing us toward best-in-class engineering.

You’ll own

• Frontend: Next.js (React, TypeScript) → build pages that are lightning-fast, SEO-friendly, and don’t break on mobile.
• Backend: TypeScript/Node.js and/or Python (FastAPI/Flask) → design APIs, nail auth/caching/rate limiting, and scale services.
• Legacy lift: Laravel/PHP → read, refactor, and sunset services with clean acceptance tests.
• Data & Search: Amazon RDS (MySQL/MariaDB), Algolia → craft performant schemas and queries that make search feel instant.
• Infra: AWS (ECS Fargate, ALB, ECR, S3, CloudWatch), Docker, Terraform → build infra that scales, monitor it, and automate the boring stuff.
• CI/CD: GitLab CI today; GitHub Actions tomorrow (if you want).

What you bring (must-haves)

• Mastery in Next.js + TypeScript (SSR/ISR, routing, SEO, performance tuning).
• Production-level backend chops in Node or Python (auth, APIs, caching, scaling).
• Can read/port PHP (Laravel) without hating your life.
• SQL surgeon with MySQL/MariaDB (schema design, indexing, query tuning).
• Cloud native with AWS + containers (ECS/Fargate, Docker, IaC).
• Experience wiring up Algolia + 3rd party APIs.
• Fluent with AI coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, etc.) and know how to use them responsibly for planning, refactoring, and testing.

Soft skills (non-negotiable)

• Clear, concise English (written + spoken).
• Comfortable leading meetings, writing specs, and explaining tradeoffs.
• A collaborator: you give clean code reviews, mentor others, and take feedback without ego.
• Reliable AF: blockers don’t sit in silence, you ship what you commit, and your team knows they can count on you.

Why this role rocks

• Impact: You’re not a cog. Your code will shape the experience for thousands of buyers and sellers.
• Ownership: You’ll steer technical direction, not just execute tickets.
• Pace: We ship. Fast.
• Growth: You’ll mentor engineers, influence culture, and solve scaling challenges most startups dream about.

Next step
If you want to build something big, visible, and lasting—apply. If you want a slow, “corporate-safe” gig, this isn’t it.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $125,000.00 - $225,000.00 per year

Work Location: Remote