Position Purpose:

The Principal Software Engineer will lead the design, development, and integration of advanced warehouse automation and execution systems critical to our supply chain operations. Leveraging substantial experience in conveyor design software, PLC communication, and robotics, they will architect robust solutions connecting hardware—including sensors, actuators, and industrial robots—with cutting-edge cloud-native platforms and enterprise-grade warehouse management software. This role requires navigating the limitations and complexities of industrial protocols and orchestrating seamless interoperability between edge devices and cloud services.As a technical expert and collaborative leader, the Principal Software Engineer will produce scalable, reusable code and maintain high technical standards across the product lifecycle. They will facilitate cross-disciplinary teamwork with software, electrical, and mechanical teams, translating intricate technical requirements for both technical and non-technical stakeholders, and documenting system risks, integration constraints, and operational objectives.This position also oversees system configuration, performance optimization, resilience testing, and production monitoring, upholding rigorous expectations for system availability, security, and disaster recovery. Through mentorship and active engagement, the Principal Software Engineer will foster skill development among junior team members and drive adoption of best practices in microservices, modern development frameworks, and continuous integration/deployment toolchains to ensure the reliability and scalability of our automated warehouse solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

70% Delivery & ExecutionCollaborates and pairs with other product team members (UX, engineering, and product management) to create secure, reliable, scalable software solutionsDocuments, reviews, and ensures that all quality and change control standards are metWrites custom code or scripts to automate infrastructure, monitoring services, and test casesWrites custom code or scripts to do "destructive testing" to ensure adequate resiliency in productionCreates meaningful dashboards, logging, alerting, and responses to ensure that issues are captured and addressed proactivelyContributes to enterprise-wide tools to drive destructive testing, automation, or engineering empowermentIdentifies product enhancements (client-facing or technical) to create a better experience for the end usersIdentifies unsecured code areas and implements fixes as they are discovered with or without toolingIdentifies, implements, and shares technical solutions that can be used across the organizationCreates and architects foundational code elements that can be reused many times by a productCreates meaningful architecture diagrams and other documentation needed for security reviews or other interested partiesDefines Service Level Objectives for the product to constantly measure their reliability in production and help prioritize backlog work20% Support & Enablement:Field questions from other product teams or support teamsMonitors tools and participates in conversations to encourage collaboration across product teamsProvides application support for software running in productionProactively monitors production Service Level Objectives for productsWorks with vendors and the open-source community to help identify and implement feature enhancements in software productsWorks with other product teams to create API specifications and contracts for shared dataProactively reviews the performance and capacity of all aspects of production: code, infrastructure, data, and message processingTriages high-priority issues and outages as they arise10% Learning:Participates in and leads learning activities around modern software design and development core practices (communities of practice)Learns, through reading, tutorials, and videos, new technologies and best practices being used within other technology organizationsAttends conferences and learns how to apply new technologies where appropriate

Direct Manager/Direct Reports:

Typically reports to the Software Engineer Manager or Sr. Manager, Technology Director or Sr. Director.

Travel Requirements:

Typically requires overnight travel less than 10% of the time.

Physical Requirements:

Most of the time is spent sitting in a comfortable position, and there is frequent opportunity to move about. On rare occasions, there may be a need to move or lift light articles.

Working Conditions:

Located in a comfortable indoor area. Any unpleasant conditions would be infrequent and not objectionable.

Minimum Qualifications:

Must be eighteen years of age or older.Must be legally permitted to work in the United States.Mastery of an object-oriented programming language (preferably Java)Must be legally permitted to work in the United States

Preferred Qualifications:

6-8 years of hands-on experience designing and developing large-scale, distributed warehouse automation and execution systemsProven expertise with conveyor design software, including a deep understanding of control logic, systems integration, and real-time material handling requirementsStrong proficiency in PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) communication, including knowledge of industrial protocols (such as Modbus, OPC UA, Ethernet/IP) and practical limitations of PLC hardware and software in automated environmentsHands-on experience with robotics and electronic control systems, including architecting solutions involving sensors, actuators, industrial robots, and vision systems within warehouse environmentsAdvanced skills in software architecture and designing enterprise-grade supply chain or warehouse management solutionsAdvanced proficiency in Java and cloud-native development, particularly on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or similar scalable cloud infrastructuresDeep understanding of integration patterns between cloud services and edge devices (such as PLCs, conveyors, robots)Mastery of a modern web application framework such as Ruby on Rails, Spring MVC, or Node.jsStrong skills in both relational (SQL) and NoSQL databases for modeling warehouse operational and transactional dataSolid experience with version control systems (preferably Git)Proficient in designing scalable RESTful APIs and microservice architectures for high-throughput warehouse environmentsExperience with front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AngularJS, ReactJS, and JQuery for user interfaces tied to warehouse control and monitoring systemsProficient in Linux/Unix environments supporting CI/CD toolchains for rapid, reliable warehouse software deploymentFamiliarity with destructive testing methodologies, performance testing, and building resilient systems for critical supply chain operationsKnowledge of defensive coding practices for high-availability, security, and disaster recovery in mission-critical warehouse applicationsExpertise in test-driven development, efficient unit test creation, and automation for control logic and warehouse orchestration softwareExperience applying the 12-factor methodology and demonstrating its benefits to cross-functional and junior team membersProven ability to effectively communicate complex technical requirements, especially integrating software with hardware (PLCs, conveyor controllers, robotics), to both engineering teams and non-technical stakeholdersDemonstrated leadership in architecting software systems for automated warehouses, including clear documentation and communication of system limitations, integration risks, and platform constraintsCollaborative approach to resolving cross-disciplinary challenges among software, electrical, and mechanical teams

Minimum Education:

The knowledge, skills, and abilitiesare typically acquired through the completion of a bachelor's degree program or equivalent degree in a field of study related to the job.

Preferred Education:

No additional education

Minimum Years of Work Experience:

6

Preferred Years of Work Experience:

No additional years of experience

Minimum Leadership Experience:

None

Preferred Leadership Experience:

None

Certifications:

None

Competencies:

Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasmBusiness Insight: Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goalsCollaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectivesCommunicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiencesCultivates Innovation: Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successfulDrives Results: Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstancesGlobal Perspective: Taking a broad view when approaching issues; using a global lensInterpersonal Savvy: Relating openly and comfortably with diverse groups of peopleManages Ambiguity: Operating effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward is not clearManages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problemsNimble Learning: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodderOptimizes Work Processes: Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvementSelf-Development: Actively seeking new ways to grow and be challenged using both formal and informal development channelsSituational Adaptability: Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations

Benefits offered include health care benefits, 401K, ESPP, paid time off, and success sharing bonus.  For a full list of the various benefits The Home Depot offers, visit https://careers.homedepot.com/our-benefits.