Senior Full Stack Engineer, Key-Value Store & Messaging
A Little About Us
At Yahoo, Cloud Runtime Engineering, a central technology organization, is driving a company-wide cloud and infrastructure transformation. The Key-Value Store & Messaging Platform team sits at the core of this effort, building and operating planet-scale distributed systems that handle millions of requests per second and manage petabytes of data globally. Our work directly impacts Yahoo’s most critical, revenue-generating products, ensuring they are fast, reliable, and future-ready.
A Lot About You
As a Senior Full Stack Engineer (IC4), you thrive on solving complex systems problems and building at a scale that few companies reach. You will work on platforms that power Yahoo Mail, Finance, Sports, Media, and Ad Platforms. This is a high-impact, hands-on role that offers real ownership and the opportunity to influence architectural decisions across the organization. You are an independent problem-solver who enjoys mentoring others and driving technical excellence.
What You’ll Do
Design, build, and operate high-performance NoSQL and messaging platforms at massive scale.
Leverage AI-driven insights and intelligent automation to proactively optimize system performance, reliability, and operational efficiency.
Lead the development and ownership of globally distributed production systems, focusing on sub-millisecond latency and high availability.
Drive "automation-first" engineering across CI/CD, automated testing, provisioning, and scaling.
Solve multifaceted systems problems using sophisticated analytical thought and modern distributed technologies.
Act as a technical resource for the team, leading design reviews, code reviews, and project workstreams.
Partner closely with internal Yahoo product teams to deliver platform capabilities that enable rapid innovation.
Mentor junior engineers and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and engineering rigor.
What You Bring
Proficiency in using AI-powered development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Gemini) to enhance system design, debugging, and code optimization.
In-depth conceptual and practical knowledge of Java systems programming, including robust testing and debugging.
Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and distributed systems architecture.
A proven track record of operating and improving large-scale production systems in a fast-paced environment.
Sophisticated analytical thinking and a clear "ownership" mindset for the entire software lifecycle.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across globally distributed teams.
Basic Qualifications
BS in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience (Background check required for education verification).
5+ years of experience building Java-based services and RESTful APIs.
2+ years of experience in cloud-native environments (AWS and/or GCP).
Experience with large-scale distributed data systems (NoSQL, streaming, or messaging) that power real-time analytics or AI-driven applications.
Familiarity with event-driven architectures and pub/sub systems (e.g., Apache Pulsar, Kafka).
Preferred Qualifications
Full stack experience with React and Node.js for building internal tooling and dashboards.
Experience leading small project teams or specific workstreams within a larger engineering organization.
Deep interest in contributing to open-source distributed systems projects.
The material job duties and responsibilities of this role include those listed above as well as adhering to Yahoo policies; exercising sound judgment; working effectively, safely and inclusively with others; exhibiting trustworthiness and meeting expectations; and safeguarding business operations and brand integrity.
At Yahoo, we offer flexible hybrid work options that our employees love! While most roles don’t require regular office attendance, you may occasionally be asked to attend in-person events or team sessions. You’ll always get notice to make arrangements. Your recruiter will let you know if a specific job requires regular attendance at a Yahoo office or facility. If you have any questions about how this applies to the role, just ask the recruiter!
Yahoo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on age, race, gender, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected category. Yahoo will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. Yahoo is dedicated to providing an accessible environment for all candidates during the application process and for employees during their employment. If you need accessibility assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please submit a request via the Accommodation Request Form (www.yahooinc.com/careers/contact-us.html) or call +1.866.772.3182. Requests and calls received for non-disability related issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.
We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace strengthens Yahoo and deepens our relationships. When you support everyone to be their best selves, they spark discovery, innovation and creativity. Among other efforts, our 11 employee resource groups (ERGs) enhance a culture of belonging with programs, events and fellowship that help educate, support and create a workplace where all feel welcome.
The compensation for this position ranges from $128,250.00 - $266,875.00/yr and will vary depending on factors such as your location, skills and experience.The compensation package may also include incentive compensation opportunities in the form of discretionary annual bonus or commissions. Our comprehensive benefits include healthcare, a great 401k, backup childcare, education stipends and much (much) more.Currently work for Yahoo? Please apply on our internal career site.
