You will report to the Sr. Director, Reporting & Intelligence Engineering and be part of the Engineering Leadership Team. You will collaborate regularly with software and machine learning engineers in Reporting & Intelligence, principal engineers in partner domains, product managers, and engineering directors to activate technical designs and plans. You will contribute to high-impact initiatives, collaborate with global teams, and help build the next generation of Nike’s digital product merchandising & creation capabilities.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FORWe are looking for a visionary and value‑driven Sr. Principal Engineer to lead in the design, build, and evolution of Nike’s digital transformation across product merchandising, apparel and footwear creation. You are not only an expert in software architecture and engineering but also a strategic thinker who can see the long-term impact of technology decisions. Your experience allows you to guide teams through ambiguity, and set clear technical standards. You thrive in a fast-paced environment where cross-functional collaboration, creativity, and agility are essential. You have a demonstrated history of successfully leading engineering teams, delivering innovative solutions, and driving organizational change at scale.
Key Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related field
- 14+ years hands-on software engineering experience
- 5+ years experience as a Principal or Staff Engineer, accountable for multiple engineering teams
- 5+ years native cloud engineering experience in a high scale, business critical domain
- Excellent computer science fundamentals including algorithms, data structures, and modern cloud native design patterns
- Deep experience with distributed cloud systems tech (Java/node.js, EC2, Lambda, DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, or Google Cloud/Azure equivalents)
- Hands‑on experience with modern data platform technologies (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake, Kafka/Kinesis, Apache Spark, Apache Airflow, dbt)
- A strong familiarity and development experiences with agentic workflow and AI/LLM powered enterprise applications
- Experience with modern ML stacks (e.g., LLMs, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Spark, and cloud-native MLOps tools)
- Strong track record with modern DevOps methodologies, automation, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure as code (IaC)
- Experience with front-end web application tech (javascript, CSS, html5, Vue, React/redux)
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, both technical and business-facing
- Ability to build and maintain relationships with multiple senior stakeholders
- Domain experience in product creation, design, innovation or manufacturing is a major plus
If this is you, you’ll be building the technology on one of Nike’s emerging technology platforms. In a typical week, half of your time will be spent leading by example to design, develop, operate, and integrate Nike and partner platforms and applications. The other half will be leadership responsibilities to drive technical priorities, define engineering best practices, collaborate with peers, and help to translate business problems into technical solutions.
Your responsibilities will include
- Designing, developing, and integrating scalable platforms and applications
- Championing best practices in software development high standards for code quality, reliability, and maintainability across multiple engineering teams
- Driving technical priorities and collaborating with peers and cross-functional teams to align technical execution with business needs
- Translating complex business challenges into actionable technical solutions
- Evaluating, recommending, and integrating emerging technologies, frameworks, and tools to strengthen Nike’s technology ecosystem
- Overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle of critical projects, from requirements gathering and solution design, to implementation, monitoring, and optimization
- Ensuring all platforms and services meet stringent security, privacy, and compliance standards, proactively identifying and mitigating risks
- Driving adoption of modern engineering methodologies, including automation, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), MLOps/DevOps practices, test-driven development, and agile frameworks to accelerate innovation and delivery
- Mentoring and coaching senior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, intellectual curiosity, and continuous growth
- Providing thought leadership to enable teams to solve challenging engineering problems
We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field
- 14+ years hands-on software engineering experience
- 5+ years experience as a Principal or Staff Engineer, accountable for multiple engineering teams
- 5+ years native cloud engineering experience in a high scale, business critical domain
- Excellent computer science fundamentals including algorithms and data structures
- Deep experience with distributed cloud systems tech (Java, node.js, EC2, Lambda, DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, or Google Cloud/Azure equivalents)
- Hands-on experience with modern data platform technologies (Databricks, Snowflake, Kafka/Kinesis, Apache Spark, Apache Airflow, dbt)
- Familiarity and development experience with agentic workflow and AI/LLM powered enterprise applications
- Experience with modern ML stacks (LLMs, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Spark, cloud-native MLOps tools)
- Strong track record with DevOps methodologies, automation, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure as code (IaC)
- Experience with front-end web application technologies (JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Vue, React/Redux)
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, technical and business-facing
- Ability to build and maintain relationships with multiple senior stakeholders
- Domain experience in product creation, design, innovation or manufacturing
Nike Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Nike and has not been reviewed or approved by Nike.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with a company match is complemented by options such as a Mega Backdoor Roth and deferred compensation for eligible earners. Financial coaching and structured savings programs support long-term financial security.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — An Employee Stock Purchase Plan with a stock discount sits alongside broad-based equity vehicles like RSUs and non-qualified stock options. These avenues expand wealth-building opportunities beyond base pay.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave includes maternity and paternity time, recently expanded in the U.S. to 16 weeks and extended to part-time retail teammates. Additional supports include childcare assistance at select locations and family-building benefits such as fertility, surrogacy, and adoption.
Nike Insights
What We Do
At NIKE, Inc., we innovate to serve athletes*. Every teammate - from coder to creator - plays a role in making these athletes’ dreams real. Our tech, data, and digital teams push limits every day, building the future of sport and the tools that drive it. Here, curiosity is fuel. Innovation is the game plan. Different perspectives keep us on the offense. You’ll solve challenges worth tackling, grow fast and belong to a team that backs you to do the right thing. Bring your drive. Bring your bold. Let’s move the world, together. Take your first step at nike.com/careers * If you have a body, you’re an athlete.
Why Work With Us
At NIKE, Inc., your dedication fuels the future of sport. There is a sense of pride that comes from representing an iconic brand and shaping its future. Here, we treat every day as a new opportunity to push boundaries, ask tough questions and share whole-hearted convictions. We are a team – united by the belief that anything is possible.
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