Principal Engineer Software, Search & AI Assistant team

Job Description Description:Location: Remote (Must be based anywhere in the Czech Republic)About PaylocityPaylocity is an award-winning provider of cloud-based HR and payroll software solutions, offering the most complete platform for the modern workforce. The company has become one of the fastest-growing HCM software providers worldwide by offering an intuitive, easy-to-use product suite that helps businesses automate and streamline HR and payroll processes, attract and retain talent, and build a strong workplace culture. While traditional HR and payroll providers automate basic HR processes such as payroll and benefits administration, Paylocity goes further by developing tools that HR and businesses need to compete for talent and deliver against the expectations of the modern workforce.Want to develop the strategies and principles needed to deliver compelling software?Join our team and help us enhance our all-in-one software platform, elevate our one-of-a-kind technology, and improve the employee experience.Take your career to the next level at one of G2's Top 100 Software Companies. Explore our Product & Technology positions to see where you fit!About the TeamThe Search & AI Assistant team is a growing engineering group based in the Czech Republic, responsible for building the company's Search platform and integrating a conversational AI Assistant. As usage and scope increase, the team is expanding with a clear path toward splitting into two focused teams, offering engineers the chance to join early and help shape the future of these platforms.The team collaborates closely with product and UX partners in the United States while remaining fully co-located in CZ. The technical stack includes containerized .NET services, ReactJS, AWS, OpenSearch, and Amazon Bedrock, supporting modern, scalable search and AI-driven experiences.Position OverviewThis role provides technical leadership and strategic direction across our engineering organization. This role requires a unique combination of deep technical expertise, architectural vision, and leadership capabilities, with a focus on driving technical excellence and innovation across multiple systems and domains.Primary ResponsibilitiesThe below represents the primary duties of the position, others may be assigned as needed. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Core ResponsibilitiesProvide strategic technical direction across multiple shared systems and architecturesEvangelize and implement organization-wide technical strategies and best practicesCoordinate architectural decisions and contributions across multiple projectsDrive technical innovation while maintaining system reliability and scalabilityProvide technical oversight and commentary on multiple projects beyond direct involvementNavigate and resolve complex technical arguments through constructive dialogueHandle ambiguous specifications through systematic analysis and collaborationMaintain high-quality standards across all technical initiativesLead incident resolution and drive reliability improvementsAdvocate for and maintain high-quality standards across the organizationIdentify and address quality gaps in processes and systemsDrive adoption of best practices across teams and departmentsGrowth & Technical LeadershipCoach and develop fellow technical leaders across the organizationInfluence technical decisions across multiple domains and stakeholder groupsDrive cross-team alignment on quality engineering goals, KPIs, and continuous improvement initiatives.Identify and resolve systemic issues through data analysis, retrospectives, and iterative improvements.Maintain a calm, mature perspective in high-pressure situationsFoster a culture of constructive communication and technical excellenceDemonstrate company-level perspective on technical issuesIdentify and prioritize high-impact technical initiativesUnderstand and communicate cross-functional impacts of technical decisionsDrive technical innovation while considering business objectivesTeam Collaboration & InfluenceFoster a culture of innovation by promoting experimentation with new technologies, tools, and practices.Partner with Product, Design, and Engineering leadership to align on feature expectations and quality benchmarks.Lead technical initiatives across multiple engineering teams, driving accountability and shared success.Play an active role in hiring, onboarding, and developing top engineering talent, contributing to a high-performing test engineering community.Education and ExperienceBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related fieldMinimum 10 years of software engineering experienceProven track record of leading significant technical initiativesTechnical Skills:8+ years hands-on experience with application developmentReactJS for front-end (or experience with a comparable framework).NET C# for back-end (.NET experience is preferred, but not a strict requirement if the candidate can pick it up quickly)track record of architecture design experience with:Distributed systems handling large volumes of dataOr handling high volume of requestsOr with the necessity of high availabilityOr with a complex API contracts designStrong knowledge of both back-end and front-end technologiesExperience with AI technologies, conversational AI, AI agentsExperience developing highly interactive and responsive applicationsExpert understanding of modern API standards and conceptsExperience with multiple database engines, SQL and NoSQLExperience with unit testing, integration testing, and test automationAbility to work effectively in an agile, cross-functional, English-speaking teamCommitment to the role and ability to take responsibility for assigned tasksPassion for writing clean, maintainable, and efficient codeStrong software architecture design skillsStrong problem-solving skills and strong sense of curiosityAdaptability to new technologies, dynamic requirements and environmentNice to Have:Knowledge of search technologies such as OpenSearchFamiliarity with cloud services (AWS is preferred)Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practicesAdaptability to new technologies, dynamic requirements and environmentPhysical requirementsAbility to sit for extended periods: The role requires sitting at a desk or workstation for long periods, typically 7-8 hours a day.Use of computer and phone systems: The employee must be able to operate a computer, use phone systems, and type. This includes using multiple software programs and inquiries simultaneously.Paylocity is an equal-opportunity employer. Paylocity is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals. We recruit, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. At Paylocity, we believe diversity makes us better.We embrace and encourage our employees' differences in age, culture, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. We actively cultivate these differences through our employee resource groups (ERGs), employee experiences, perspectives, talents, and approaches to drive innovation in the software and services we provide our customers.We comply with federal and state disability laws and make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request reasonable accommodation in the job application or interview process, please contact Leave Benefits@paylocity.com. This email address is exclusively designated for such requests, aligning with federal and state disability laws. Please do not send resumes to this email address, as they will be removed.#LI-RemoteRequirements: