Grab
Superapp
SeniorPrincipalEngineer
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for mid candidates.
“Senior Principal Engineer at Grab. Skills: AI Platform Architecture, Distributed Systems, AI/ML Systems, Engineering Velocity, Code Quality, Operational Efficiency, Reliability Engineering, Platform Unification, AI-Native Architecture. Architect and scale AI-assisted development workflows. Architect and scale agentic operational automation”
What You'll Achieve.
Measurable improvement in engineering velocity; Measurable improvement in code quality; Measurable improvement in operational efficiency; AI-assisted engineering is a daily reality, not a pilot (12-18 Months); Reliability metrics trend structurally stronger (12-18 Months); Cross-platform capabilities converge (12-18 Months); At least one new business launches on a clean, scalable foundation (12-18 Months); Engineering quality becomes institutionalised, not tribal (12-18 Months)
Industry & Context.
How do we embed LLM agents safely into engineering workflows at scale?; How do we raise reliability standards without slowing innovation?; When do we centralise vs federate capabilities across domains?; How do we unify ranking and recall systems across monetised and organic surfaces?; How do we launch new AI-native businesses without fracturing the ecosystem?
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Deep distributed systems thinker, Fluent in AI/ML system realities, Opinionated about engineering culture, Comfortable influencing senior stakeholders, Energised by ambiguity, High-agency and low-ego, Operated at Staff+/Principal level in large-scale systems, Driven cross-organisation architectural change, Built or evolved platforms used by millions, Touched reliability, search, ML, or transaction-heavy systems
What You'll Do.
Architect and scale AI-assisted development workflows
Architect and scale agentic operational automation
Architect and scale reliability guardrails powered by AI
Architect and scale safe
test-backed automation systems
Raise prevention standards across critical systems
Institutionalise chaos engineering as discipline
Strengthen detection and recovery mechanisms
Reduce incident impact structurally
Design connective tissue for platformisation
Design clean 0→1 foundations
Define execution models optimised for velocity
Enable AI-native product experiences
Balance exploration with ecosystem coherence
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Influence an entire engineering organisation; Operate across five major departments (Merchant platforms, Search & personalisation, Ads & monetisation, Transaction systems, Enterprise capabilities); Comfortable influencing senior stakeholders
Full Job Description
About Grab and Our Workplace Grab is Southeast Asia's leading superapp. From getting your favourite meals delivered to helping you manage your finances and getting around town hassle-free, we've got your back with everything. In Grab, purpose gives us joy and habits build excellence, while harnessing the power of Technology and AI to deliver the mission of driving Southeast Asia forward by economically empowering everyone, with heart, hunger, honour, and humility. Build the System Behind the Grab SuperApp We are a SuperApp operating at massive scale across transport, food, commerce, ads, merchant platforms, and enterprise services. Within this ecosystem, BECO (Business Ecosystem) powers the foundational platforms that connect merchants, consumers, ads, transactions, search, and intelligence. We are now entering our next phase: * Embedding G/AI into the engineering nervous system * Raising reliability to utility-grade standards * Unifying siloed platforms into a cohesive ecosystem * Accelerating new businesses with AI-native architecture To do this, we are hiring a Senior Principal Engineer — a rare, high-leverage individual contributor who will shape the technical trajectory of a 300+ engineer organisation. This role reports directly to the Head of BECO. Why This Role Is Special Most Principal roles influence a team. Some influence a domain. This role influences an entire engineering organisation. You will operate across five major departments spanning: 1). Merchant platforms, 2). Search & personalisation, 3). Ads & monetisation, 4). Transaction systems, 5). Enterprise capabilities You are not here to own a microservice. You are here to evolve the system. The Mission Turn AI Into Engineering Leverage We are moving beyond “AI demos.” You will help architect and scale: * AI-assisted development workflows * Agentic operational automation * Reliability guardrails powered by AI * Safe, test-backed automation systems The goal is measurable improvement in: * Engineering ve
Applying for this Senior Principal Engineer role?
Most applicants get filtered before a human reads their resume. See if yours makes the cut.
How to Apply on SmartRecruiters
- SmartRecruiters often includes a video screening step — check camera and mic permissions.
- Link your GitHub or portfolio directly in the profile section for technical roles.
- Applications may be reviewed by AI scoring before reaching a recruiter — use keywords from the job description.
ANONYMOUS · UNFILTERED
What do employees actually say about Grab?
Real rants from real employees. Read before you apply.