Senior / Principal Software Engineer

WHO WE ARE At Soma Energy, we're transforming the power grid with cutting-edge AI, making energy systems smarter, cleaner, and more resilient. Our energy intelligence platform integrates renewables, batteries, and large-scale energy loads, unlocking unprecedented flexibility and sustainability. Backed by leading Bay Area venture capital firms, Soma is an early-stage startup founded by energy domain experts with 20 years of experience in electricity markets and renewable energy procurement. Our founding team created the energy optimization program at AWS and includes leading PhDs in AI and optimization. We're building a diverse, ambitious team driven by curiosity, creativity, and a passion for solving real-world climate and energy challenges with modern AI. If you're eager to make an impact where AI, climate, and energy intersect, we'd love to meet you. ABOUT THE ROLE You'll own the core systems behind our platform: the infrastructure, APIs, and distributed services that turn a firehose of grid telemetry into optimization decisions that actually get executed, on time, on real assets. The hard part isn't scale for its own sake. It's that the deadlines are physical. A dispatch decision that arrives ninety seconds late isn't slow, it's wrong. You'll be building systems where correctness, latency, and reliability are the same problem wearing three hats. WHAT WE LOOK FOR - 10+ years building production software; BS/MS degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. - Have owned systems where being wrong was expensive: trading, telemetry, industrial control, payments, or real-time infrastructure. - Passionate about AI coding practices but still believes in software engineering as a craft. - Have productionized AI models. - Deep understanding of software architecture, data structures, and performance tradeoffs — and can explain what each choice cost. - Proficiency in backend languages (Python, Go, Rust, C++). - Experience with time series or geospatial data at scale a plus. - Shows deep curiosity in problem domain. - High agency in a fast-paced environment where the spec is often a conversation, and shipping is the part you don't rush past. - Strong written and verbal communication skills. - Bonus, not required: you've led before — tech lead, staff, or EM. Directing a fleet of agents draws on the same muscle as directing a team. We thrive on diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences to push the boundaries of AI-driven energy solutions. We hire based on talent and potential, ensuring equal opportunity regardless of background. If you need accommodation during the hiring process, let us know, we will work with you. We’re actively hiring. If you’re excited to help revolutionize the energy industry, we’d love to hear from you.