Staff Software Engineer

AppFolio is more than a company. We’re a community of dreamers, big thinkers, problem solvers, active listeners, and multipliers. At every opportunity, we set the pace while delivering innovation built to carry real estate into the future. One in which every experience feels effortless, yet meaningful. Where customers are empowered to take on any opportunity. We show up as one team, connected by our values to be a force for good. Because together, we have the power to create extraordinary outcomes for our customers, our communities, and ourselves.

Who we are looking for:

We are looking for a pioneering technical leader to drive the architectural evolution of our Leasing Engineering Domain. As a Staff Software Engineer, you will lead the technical direction for our next-generation agentic AI products. This work is at the heart of our goal to simplify customer operations by using intelligent automation in new and impactful ways. You will thrive in this role if you are energized by high-ambiguity environments and the challenge of shaping the future of autonomous, innovative systems from the ground up.

This is a hands-on, full-stack leadership position where you will serve as the final owner of the system’s architecture. Because this initiative involves complex, non-deterministic workflows and high-scale data orchestration, deep expertise in distributed systems is non-negotiable. You will lead the charge in translating sophisticated AI capabilities into robust, production-grade SaaS infrastructure. This role is about making the foundational technical bets that will define how our systems reason, act, and scale for years to come.

Beyond the code, you will act as a technical force multiplier, bridging the gap between Machine Learning Engineering, Product, and UX to turn a strategic vision into a scalable reality. You will navigate evolving technical hurdles and cross-team dependencies, fostering a culture of excellence and pragmatic innovation. Your leadership will directly determine the success of our most ambitious AI-driven products, enabling us to deliver high-velocity, reliable solutions that redefine the industry standard for our customers.

Responsibilities

• Drive the technical vision and strategy across the Leasing teams, influencing the product roadmap and making key architectural decisions that align with business goals

• Lead the design and implementation of complex, distributed systems that power our agentic AI, balancing rapid innovation with the reliability and security our customers depend on.

• Raise the bar for engineering quality through hands-on leadership in design and code, while establishing the standards and patterns that enable the entire team to ship with confidence.

• Act as a force multiplier by coaching engineers and fostering a high-trust, autonomous culture where continuous learning and ownership are the norms.

• Collaborate as a peer with Product, Design, and Machine Learning leaders to bridge the gap between "what’s possible" in AI and "what’s valuable" for our customers.

• Operate in a highly autonomous team that owns the full lifecycle of solutions you build, from discovery to development to production

• Proactively research, share, and apply new technologies and patterns that improve system quality and accelerate delivery.

You know you’re the right fit if…

• You have 8+ years of experience developing and scaling web-based applications, preferably in a SaaS environment.

• You have a track record of leading high-stakes projects from initial ambiguity to successful launch–aligning stakeholders, making tough technical trade-offs, and ensuring long-term system health.

• You have experience leading architectural discussions, defining system design, and guiding technical decision-making.

• You have practical experience integrating AI/ML technologies into production-grade applications, understanding how to make non-deterministic systems reliable.

• You take a pragmatic approach to technology—adopting new tools where they add value, while mastering proven technologies.

• You care about long-term maintainability, advocate for clean architecture, and drive continuous refactoring and improvement.

• You balance intensity and sustainability—you’ll go the extra mile when needed but also model healthy work-life balance.

Nice to Have:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related technical discipline.

• Experience with technologies in our stack such as Ruby on Rails, React, AWS, or service-oriented architectures.