Principal Software Engineer

Hiring Principal Software Engineers Who Love AI If you’re a Principal Software Engineer who believes that:  AI is imperfect but phenomenal and the future  The Tech teams that figure out how to leverage AI to its full potential the fastest will win The best tech is built by teams that are loyal not to hierarchy or job titles but to the quality of ideas and business impact  Tech is a team sport that requires open minds, collaboration, and low ego  Engineers should not be gatekeepers, but instead enablers using their deep expertise to empower rapid innovation across the entire org  We’d love to talk to you.  At Fresh Prints, we’re in the middle of reshaping our Tech team into one that both 1) uses AI to build better and faster and 2) develops generative AI so that we can better serve customers and the business.  We’re looking for confident principal software engineers who want to dive into all of it with us. And we’re not talking about using GitHub Copilot or writing prompts in Cursor! We’re talking about being truly AI-first so that we can actively reassess what each role is capable of. For example, our Product Designers no longer create Figma files, but instead build functional front ends via Cursor that they then hand off. Our Product Managers are also in the middle of learning how to become more technical contributors by developing internal tools and POCs.  We want fellow engineers who are excited by the opportunity this creates to make the average engineer’s role a lot more interesting. As AI and our team’s ability to use it continues to improve, engineering will no longer include much low level “building” and will instead require much higher level technical problem solving. Think systems-level issues, not just syntax.  How do we take all that we describe above and make sure it translates into production grade applications? How do we build a resilient architecture to ensure performance, scalability, and agility?  How do we do all of that without slowing anything down? How do we build the absolute best applications in the most efficient ways?   Those are questions we’ll look to you to answer.  WHAT YOU’D BE BUILDING We have bootstrapped Fresh Prints by being one of very few companies in the custom apparel space with real tech. We’ve developed our own OMS, CRM, and ecomm applications that cover everything from designing the apparel to account management to quotes through the entire supply chain.  Why would we build all of that? The “product” we offer is really an infinite number of permutations on design + garment + print type. There’s little off-the-shelf software built to support an infinite product selection. There’s even less built to support a business that sells those products via 700+ 19 year olds at 250+ schools across the country.  As a result, everyone else in our space has stayed small. We put our heads down, invested in the tech, and are now the largest collegiate custom apparel company in the US.  So what’s next? As the only company that’s built the underlying technology, we also have a distinct advantage in the race to leverage AI. We’ve developed MCP compliant APIs that we now want to use to build a suite of generative AI agents that should both generate more revenue and make the business significantly more scalable. There is still quite a bit to learn and build. As a senior software engineer on our team, you’d be at the heart of it all.   RESPONSIBILITIES Build and ship high-quality, AI-first applications Design, develop, and maintain scalable, performant, and secure full-stack applications across our React/Next.js and Node.js stack. Contribute clean, well-documented code that balances speed of delivery with maintainability. Proactively identify performance bottlenecks, architectural gaps, or opportunities to automate and improve development workflows. Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver impact Work closely with Product Design and Product Management teams to translate ideas and prototypes into production-grade software. Provide technical input during planning, ensuring feasibility and scalability. Participate in architecture discussions and contribute to system design decisions that align with our AI-first vision. Champion AI-assisted engineering Use and advocate for AI-assisted tools (e.g., Cursor, CodeRabbit) to accelerate development while maintaining code quality. Experiment with and evaluate emerging AI dev tools, sharing learnings with the team. Help define best practices for integrating AI into the engineering workflow. Elevate the engineering culture Uphold and promote high standards for code quality, testing, and documentation. Mentor junior engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and informal learning sessions. Model a low-ego, high-collaboration approach that embodies Fresh Prints’ values. Contribute to scalable architecture and reliability Help design and evolve systems for performance, observability, and reliability at scale. Participate in architecture reviews and contribute to decisions around CI/CD, monitoring, and deployment practices. Support the creation of internal tools and shared components that improve team velocity. Drive business impact through technology Develop a strong understanding of Fresh Prints’ business model, products, and customer needs. Translate business goals into technical solutions that improve user experience, scalability, or team efficiency. Take ownership of delivering outcomes, not just code. REQUIREMENTS 5–8 years of professional software engineering experience, including significant full-stack work. Deep understanding of modern web architecture and frameworks — especially React/Next.js, Node.js, MySQL, AWS, and Docker. Strong grasp of software design principles, system performance, observability, and security. Proven ability to ship production-grade applications end-to-end: from requirements to deployment and maintenance. Passion for AI-assisted development and curiosity about how AI will transform software creation. Experience collaborating cross-functionally with Product, Design, and other engineers. Strong communication skills and a willingness to mentor others through code reviews and technical discussions. A low-ego, high-ownership mindset with a bias toward experimentation and action. TECH STACK AND TOOLS Frontend: AngularJS, Angular, React, Next.js Backend: Node.js (Express) Database: MySQL CMS: Directus Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS, Docker Version Control & CI/CD: GitHub, GitHub Actions Project & Workflow Management: Jira, Confluence Monitoring & Observability: New Relic Communication & Collaboration: Slack, Google Workspace AI: Cursor, CodeRabbit  WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS This is by no means an easy role, but for the right person, it will be an incredibly rewarding one. You’ll be a key contributor to the many integral tech initiatives we’re currently working on. The things we learn over the next few years will change everything about Tech not only at Fresh Prints, but globally. So let's get started.  Compensation & Benefits  Competitive salary  Health insurance  The opportunity to learn a lot rapidly  Working with a talented and engaged team dedicated to building a business together. At Fresh Prints, we deeply value the long-term contributions of our team. To recognize and celebrate that commitment, we offer a 2-month paid Sabbatical to eligible employees. Job Location   This is 100% remote work. Working Hours  1:30 PM IST - 11:30 PM IST Fresh Prints is an equal employment opportunity employer and promotes diversity, actively encouraging people of all backgrounds, ages, LGBTQ+, and those with disabilities to apply.