The opportunity timeline

• Overview

  Airbnb is hiring a Principal Software Engineer in Naperville, IL.

• Role description

  You can write GitLab CI that works or Next.js that lasts; our Principal Software Engineer role at Airbnb is for engineers who insist on both. Strip away the buzzwords and here's the deal — $169,000 - $250,000, part-time hours, and a technology team at Airbnb that actually hands you the keys.

  Key Responsibilities

  • Ship Elasticsearch experiments fast, kill the losers, and double down on what sticks
  • Enhance test automation frameworks to increase release confidence
  • Reproduce the fun-loving bug from the Naperville field report, then make it impossible again
  • Coordinate releases with stakeholders across Naperville, IL and remote teams
  • Build responsive, accessible front-end interfaces with Laravel
  • Push Laravel changes safely behind flags so Naperville, IL rollbacks take seconds
  • Land Laravel performance wins Airbnb can measure in IL retention numbers
  • Partner with QA to define test coverage and catch regressions early

  What You'll Bring

  • Comfortable presenting ideas to stakeholders at every level
  • An appetite for ownership that scales with the stakes
  • An eye for the human-first detail that separates fine from finished
  • Practical command of Elasticsearch, with bonus points for Next.js

  Airbnb is a customer-centric Naperville, IL firm where Innovation isn't a department but the entire reason the lights stay on. At Airbnb, asking for a day off doesn't require a doctor's note or a guilt trip.

  You bring the Elasticsearch; we bring $169,000 - $250,000, a mentor, a benefits package, and the freedom to grow on your terms in Naperville.

  We bumped the date today, signaling this Principal Software Engineer search is ongoing.

  This principal role won't stay open long, so apply while you can.

• Required skills

  • Elasticsearch
  • Laravel
  • Agile
  • GitLab CI
  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • Collaboration
  • Innovation

• Benefits & perks

  • Parental leave
  • Adoption Leave
  • Disaster relief assistance
  • Floating holidays
  • Paid holidays
  • Financial hardship assistance fund
  • Paid vacation days
  • Meal delivery stipend

• Apply before 2026-09-16

  Submit your application for this Part-time technology position.