Principal Staff Software Engineer

Tempe, Arizona (On-site)

Principal Staff Software Engineer (AI-Native) | Founding Engineer | Build Faster Than Traditional Teams

CornerStone TTS is partnering with a high-growth organization building AI-driven platforms from the ground up. This team is intentionally designed to operate differently from traditional engineering environments, with a focus on speed, ownership, and modern tooling.

This is a hands-on, founding-level opportunity for someone who has already changed how they build software because of AI and wants to operate at a higher level of impact.

This is not a management-only role. This is for engineers who build and lead from the front.

What you will do

• Write and ship code daily using AI tools as a core part of your workflow
• Define how AI is integrated into engineering processes across the full development lifecycle
• Build and evolve cloud-native systems in a Microsoft Azure environment
• Make fast technical decisions with incomplete information and iterate quickly
• Help bring structure to a fast-growing engineering environment, including technical debt management and process maturity
• Act as a key bridge between engineering in Tempe and business operations across multiple locations
• Operate within a small, high-output team focused on speed and execution

What we are looking for

• 10+ years of engineering experience with at least 5 years leading or managing software teams
• Active, daily use of AI tools such as Cursor, Copilot, Claude, or similar
• Strong background in enterprise architecture, cloud platforms, and scalable systems
• Hands-on Microsoft Azure experience in production environments
• Experience in regulated industries such as healthcare, fintech, or government
• Familiarity with SOC2, HIPAA, or similar compliance frameworks
• Executive-level communication skills with the ability to interface with leadership and stakeholders
• Proven ability to operate in fast-moving, ambiguous environments and drive outcomes
• Preference for building and creating over maintaining legacy systems

This is not the right fit if

• You are primarily focused on people management rather than coding
• You prefer highly structured environments with defined processes
• You are not actively using AI to accelerate development
• You prefer maintaining existing systems over building and evolving new ones

Additional context

• This role bridges engineering with operational teams across multiple locations
• The environment has scaled quickly and requires someone comfortable bringing clarity and structure without slowing momentum
• AI adoption is a core pillar, and cultural alignment around modern development practices is critical

Additional details

• Founding-level impact with significant ownership and influence on technical direction

If you are already building faster because of AI and want to work in an environment that prioritizes speed, ownership, and execution, this is worth a conversation.