Software Engineer - Platform

Do you remember the first time you saw what a well-designed platform solution can do to an entire engineering org? The moment you smoothed a rough edge in the developer experience, untangled a flaky deployment, or replaced a brittle workaround with an API that simply made sense. Suddenly, teams moved faster and shipped with confidence.

At C1, we’re building that kind of leverage in two directions: the platform that powers our AI-native identity security product, and a next-generation, AI-driven development platform that helps engineers build, ship, and operate software in a revolutionary new way.

We’re looking for a Staff+ engineer to join our Platform team in Portland, Oregon. In this role, you’ll move fast while leading high-impact, complex projects and driving key investments in the platform that underpins the C1 product—improving scale, reliability, and the foundations we need for new customer-facing capabilities. You’ll balance shipping new features with paying down technical debt and making thoughtful tradeoffs, all while delivering performant, production-grade code. This is a highly leveraged role: your technical leadership, communication, and judgment will enable teams across the company and directly shape customer outcomes.

About C1

C1 is the first AI-native identity security platform that protects every identity: human, non-human, and AI. With powerful automation, platform-level AI, and out-of-the-box connectors, it centralizes access visibility, enforces fine-grained controls, enables just-in-time access, and automates user access reviews across all apps. It’s easy to use, quick to deploy, and trusted by enterprises like DigitalOcean, Instacart, Ramp, and Zscaler.

What You'll Do

• Plan and drive large projects with incremental deliverables—you'll contribute to major architectural decisions, assess technical risks, and communicate tradeoffs across teams

• Set the bar for code quality—deliver code that's maintainable, well-tested, and sets the standard for the team

• Be a stabilizing force when things are ambiguous—keep the team aligned on priorities and moving forward even when the path isn't clear

• Mentor and elevate others—delegate effectively, trust people with real ownership, and help engineers around you grow

What We’re Looking For

• A track record of delivering complex, multi-team projects—you've shipped systems that handle real scale, real failures, and real customers.

• Deep experience with Go or similar backend languages, with strong opinions on how to write maintainable, performant code.

• Strong systems thinking—you balance technical debt against feature velocity and make pragmatic tradeoffs.

• Demonstrated technical leadership—you've driven architectural decisions, built consensus across teams, and helped other engineers grow.

• High agency—you figure out what needs to be built, not just how to build what you're told. You move fast and unblock yourself.

• Deep understanding of production environments—you know how to debug, monitor, and operate the systems you build.

• Experience with AI-assisted development (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, or similar)—you're already using these tools and excited about what's next

• Clear, persuasive communication—you can explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences and build alignment.

Nice to Have

• Experience with identity and access management systems (SCIM, SAML, OAuth, LDAP, or similar)

• Background in building multi-tenant SaaS platforms with enterprise security requirements

• Familiarity with workflow orchestration technologies (Temporal, Airflow, or custom implementations)

How We Work

• Ship, Ship, Ship—we bias toward action. We'd rather ship something and learn than debate endlessly. Iteration beats perfection.

• Build with AI—we use AI tools daily to write code, review PRs, explore ideas, and move faster. If you're not excited about this, we're not the right fit.

• Earn the Customer's Trust—we build for real problems, not hypothetical ones. We talk to customers constantly and take their security seriously.

• Practice Compassionate Candor—we give direct feedback because we care about each other's growth. Ego takes a back seat to getting it right.

• Be the Conductor—we take ownership of outcomes, not just tasks. If something needs doing, we do it.