Lead Software Engineer

Appian Corporation is seeking a highly motivated Lead Software Engineer to join our dynamic team in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This role is pivotal in driving our most ambitious engineering initiatives, ensuring the Appian platform remains fast, scalable, and resilient.

As a Lead Software Engineer, you will be the technical anchor, focusing on platform evolution rather than just feature development. You will lead the design and orchestration of complex systems, integrating cutting-edge AI into the core product. This position requires a blend of exceptional coding skills, visionary system architecture, and the ability to align technical roadmaps with Appian's strategic business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Strategy & Roadmap: Collaborate with Product Leadership to translate long-term business goals into scalable technical milestones, defining the technical 'North Star'.
• Advanced Architecture: Lead the design of distributed, event-driven, and cloud-native systems, making critical decisions on system boundaries, data consistency, and integration patterns.
• AI Orchestration & Innovation: Drive the adoption of AI-native engineering and culture, utilizing AI tools to enhance developer productivity and implementing AI features for platform intelligence and autonomy.
• Architectural Governance: Establish and enforce high standards for system design and code quality, ensuring a modular, maintainable codebase free from technical debt.
• Developer Multiplier: Create frameworks and 'Golden Paths' to empower other engineering teams for faster development cycles.
• High-Stakes Problem Solving: Serve as the final escalation point for complex issues, leading resolution of critical outages and architecting solutions for performance bottlenecks.
• Mentorship & Influence: Foster a culture of excellence, mentoring Senior Engineers and promoting a high-growth environment through design reviews and technical coaching.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. A background from a premier engineering institution is preferred.
• Experience: 10+ years of professional software engineering experience. Strong understanding of data structures, algorithms, design patterns, and programming paradigms. Proven success in leading technical initiatives from concept to production. Deep expertise in Java and modern web technologies. Extensive experience building and scaling distributed systems in AWS cloud-native environments. Strong knowledge of enterprise application architecture and experience with large-scale codebases. Experience in AI/ML integration (e.g., RAG, agentic workflows) and using AI tools like Amazon Q or Claude is preferred.
• Technical Skills: Expert-level proficiency in Java or similar languages. Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD automation. Deep familiarity with performance monitoring stacks (e.g., Grafana, Prometheus, ELK). Strong experience with AWS services and modern databases (Relational, NoSQL, Vector). Understanding of enterprise-grade security (OAuth2, OIDC, data encryption).
• Soft Skills: Strategic communication, systems thinking, radical accountability, and a passion for mentorship.

Tools and Resources

Appian offers comprehensive onboarding, continuous learning opportunities through dedicated mentorship and Appian University, leadership programs, skills-based training, and tuition reimbursement. We foster an inclusive community with employee-led affinity groups.

Benefits

Appian provides a comprehensive benefits package including health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), life and disability insurance, Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), retirement plans, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, and family-forming benefits. Specific benefits may vary by location.

About Appian

Appian provides process automation technology for large enterprises and governments, known for its reliability and scale. Learn more at appian.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Appian is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.