Principal Software Engineer (Remote)

We believe that mental health is just as important as physical health. We recognize that mental health issues can be complex and multifaceted, and we are dedicated to treating the whole person, not just the symptoms.

We aim to create a world where mental health is no longer stigmatized or marginalized, but rather is embraced as an integral part of one's overall well-being. 

We believe that by providing quality care that is both evidence-based and compassionate, we can empower individuals to take charge of their mental health and achieve their full potential. We are passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of those struggling with mental health issues and we strive to be a force for positive change in the field of mental healthcare.

Rula is a remote-first company. We currently hire in most U.S. states, with the exception of Hawaii.

About the Role

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer (L6) to architect Rula’s next generation of patient-facing mental healthcare tools. This person will be the technical anchor for the Patients Group, owning the systems that power the entire patient lifecycle—from initial signup, registration, and intelligent appointment scheduling, all the way through to pre- and post-visit experiences.

You will bridge the gap between robust, high-traffic consumer application architecture and advanced "Applied AI" implementation. You will own the design of resilient full-stack systems alongside autonomous agentic workflows and RAG pipelines that help us scale our mission to millions of patients. If you are passionate about building highly reliable consumer funnels, moving beyond simple AI prompting to build observable, cost-efficient systems, and elevating the engineering culture at a staff/principal level, this is the role for you.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong focus on consumer-facing full-stack application development and distributed systems.

• Expert-level experience integrating AI into user experiences, including designing RAG pipelines, vector orchestration, and agentic loops.

• Proven track record of architecting full-stack AI systems that survive production-grade traffic (expertly managing UI latency, API costs, and system reliability).

• Deep foundational knowledge bridging modern frontend/backend ecosystems (e.g., React, Node/Python) with LLM infrastructure (e.g., tokenization, MLOps observability).

• Demonstrated technical leadership in driving complex consumer product initiatives from conception to launch, mentoring cross-functional engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with UX/UI best practices for AI interfaces (e.g., streaming responses, optimistic UI, and managing AI hallucinations gracefully in the frontend).

• Advanced expertise in modern full-stack architectural patterns (e.g., event-driven systems, microservices, edge computing) for scaling resilient and low-latency consumer applications.

• Hands-on experience implementing security and privacy measures for user data in LLM contexts (e.g., PII redaction, prompt injection defense).

• Previous experience navigating ambiguity and scaling architecture at a high-growth startup.

• Experience in consumer marketplace or digital health businesses.

We're serious about your well-being! As part of our team, full-time employees receive:

• 100% remote work environment: Working hours to support a healthy work-life balance, ensuring you can meet both professional and personal commitments (must be based in United States, currently not hiring in Hawaii)

• Attractive pay and benefits: Full transparency of pay ranges regardless of where you live in the United States

• Comprehensive health benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and FSA/HSA

• 401(k) plan access: Start saving for your future

• Generous time-off policies: Including 2 company-wide shutdown weeks each year for self-care (for most employees)

• Paid parental leave: Available for all parents, including birthing, non-birthing, adopting, and fostering

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Support for your mental and physical health

• New hire home office stipend: Set up your workspace for success

• Quarterly department stipend: Fund team-building activities or in-person gatherings

• Wellness events and lunch & learns: Explore a variety of engaging topics

• Community and employee resource groups: Participate in groups that celebrate employee identity and lived experiences, fostering a sense of community and belonging for all

Our team

We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to our mission of making mental healthcare work for everyone.  We are dedicated to having a culture of inclusion that will support our employees in feeling safe, seen, heard, and valued.