Principal Solutions Engineer

Wilson Sonsini is the premier legal advisor to technology, life sciences, and other growth enterprises worldwide. We represent companies at every stage of development, from entrepreneurial start-ups to multibillion-dollar global corporations, as well as the venture firms, private equity firms, and investment banks that finance and advise them. The firm has approximately 1,100 attorneys in 17 offices : 13 in the U.S., two in China, and two in Europe. Our broad spectrum of practices and entrepreneurial spirit allow exceptional opportunities for professional achievement and career growth.

The firm is looking for a Principal Solutions Engineer to join and be a key member of the firm's technology team. The Principal Solutions Engineer will serve as a senior technical authority for designing and delivering business solutions that drive firm strategy and improve productivity. The Principal Solutions Engineer will lead the development of complex, integrated business solutions in a law firm, ensuring data governance, security, and compliance, while also mentoring technical professionals and driving technology-driven projects.

The Principal Solutions Engineer will be a critical technical leader, responsible for architecting and implementing comprehensive solutions that address the firm's business needs. This role requires a deep understanding of the firm's operations, as well as the ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in solution design, data management, and technical leadership, with a proven track record of delivering complex projects.

The Principal Solutions Engineer will work closely with cross-functional teams to identify business needs and develop solutions that meet those needs. This will involve collaborating with stakeholders to understand business requirements, designing and implementing solutions, and ensuring that those solutions are properly tested and deployed. The Principal Solutions Engineer will also be responsible for staying up to date with the latest technologies and trends, and for identifying opportunities to leverage those technologies to drive business value.

In this role, the Principal Solutions Engineer will be expected to provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior team members, as well as to contribute to the development of the firm's technical strategy. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

This position is available as a hybrid or fully remote work schedule.

Responsibilities :

Solution Design and Architecture

• Design, implement, and maintain integrations between multiple internal and external platforms.
• Define end-to-end solution architectures spanning SaaS, PaaS, on-prem and cloud systems.
• Lead solution design through to build and implementation; guide developers, data engineers, and admins while removing blockers.
• Produce high-quality artifacts (process diagrams, sequence / data-flow diagrams, API specs, data models, non-functional requirements).
• Establish integration patterns (REST / GraphQL APIs, event-driven messaging, ETL / ELT), data contracts, and reference implementations.

Business Development and Marketing

Data Management and Integration

Technology Leadership and Strategy

Project Management and Operations

Security and Compliance

AI and Innovation

Qualifications :

Cloud & Identity : Microsoft 365 / Entra ID (AAD), Azure (App Services, Functions, Storage, SQL, Key Vault), conditional access.

Preferred Qualifications

Systems thinking : sees the whole, not just the parts; anticipates downstream impacts.

The primary location for this job posting is in Palo Alto, but other locations may be listed. The actual base pay offered will depend upon a variety of factors, including but not limited to the selected candidate's qualifications, years of relevant experience, level of education, professional certifications and licenses, and work location. The anticipated pay range for this position is as follows :

Palo Alto, New York, San Francisco : $163,200 - $220,800 per year.Austin, Boston, Boulder, Century City, Delaware, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, D.C. : $147,050 - $198,950 per year.

The compensation for this position may include a discretionary year-end merit bonus based on performance. We offer a highly competitive salary and benefits package.

Benefits information can be found here. Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).