Tech Lead /Sr. Principal Engineer (L6)

Hiring and how we work

We use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help make our hiring process efficient. That said, every hiring decision is made by real Twilions! 

Also, while we are a remote-first company, you may be asked to report in person on an ad-hoc basis for team gatherings, functional off-sites or customer meetings. 
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See yourself at Twilio

Join the team as Twilio's next  Tech Lead/Sr. Principal Engineer (L6) in Emerging Technologies.

About the job

This position is needed to contribute hands-on technical expertise, collaborate on rapid prototyping, and develop innovative solutions as part of Twilio’s incubation team.

As a Tech Lead, you’ll work closely with cross-functional partners to design and build new product ideas, leveraging modern technologies and your problem-solving abilities. This is a high-impact opportunity for growth and learning, helping Twilio experiment and stay ahead in the evolving tech landscape. You will be accountable for enabling rapid experimentation in partnership with the ETI tech lead.

Welcome to Twilio Forward, the incubation lab where we push boundaries, unlock next-era growth, and turn the once-unimagined into reality.

As part of our Emerging Tech team, you will pioneer Horizon-3 initiatives that fundamentally redefine how humanity interacts with artificial intelligence.

From launching Ola, the world’s first agent-native communication channel, to engineering the ground-breaking Agent-to-Human (A2H) protocol, we are actively building the control room for the autonomous future. If you are a builder driven to disrupt the status quo, reimagine what’s possible, and engineer what comes next, your journey starts here.

Responsibilities

In this role, you’ll

• Architect & Deliver: Design, develop, and own the end-to-end implementation of high-stakes prototypes and robust, production-ready solutions.
• Spearhead AI R&D: Drive the technical direction and collaborate with cross-functional teams to experiment with, validate, and integrate AI, machine learning, and frontier technologies.
• Champion Engineering Excellence: Establish governance for code reviews and pioneer continuous improvements to engineering standards, mentoring peers to elevate overall code quality.
• Influence & Evangelize: Articulate complex technical concepts, architectural decisions, and project velocity clearly to executive stakeholders and engineering peers alike.
• Drive Agility: Navigate ambiguity and rapidly pivot technical strategies in response to shifting requirements, user feedback, and fast-paced market dynamics.

Qualifications

Twilio values diverse experiences from all kinds of industries, and we encourage everyone who meets the required qualifications to apply. If your career is just starting or hasn't followed a traditional path, don't let that stop you from considering Twilio. We are always looking for people who will bring something new to the table!

*Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of professional software development experience.
• Proficiency across modern programming languages such as JavaScript, Python, Java or Go with the ability to select the right tool for the job.
• Experience building applications using front-end (React, Angular) and/or back-end (Node.js, Springboot) frameworks.
• Data Architecture: Solid understanding of database technologies, including both SQL and NoSQL paradigms and when to select them.
• Next-Gen Workflow: Mastery of an agentic coding operating model; highly effective at leveraging advanced dev tools, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and LLMs to drastically accelerate AI-assisted development.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a collaborative mindset with effective communication skills for technical discussions.
• Extreme Autonomy: Exceptional ability to navigate intense ambiguity, self-unblock execution, and ruthlessly solve ambiguous problems without requiring constant structural support.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Strong communication and mentorship skills, with a collaborative mindset suited for high-bandwidth technical discussions.

The rest of this description is on the employer’s own page.