Staff Software Engineer, Observability, OpenTelemetry

Company: Google
Location: Cambridge
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Minimum qualifications: Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience. 8 years of experience in software development. 5 years of experience testing, and launching software products. 5 years of experience with full stack development, across back-end such as Java, Python, Golang, or C++ codebases, and front-end experience including JavaScript or TypeScript, HTML, CSS or equivalent. 3 years of experience with software design and architecture. Preferred qualifications: Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field. 8 years of experience with data structures and algorithms. 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role leading project teams and setting technical direction. 3 years of experience working in an organization involving cross-functional, or cross-business projects. About the job Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward. Cloud Observability within Google Cloud Platform (GCP) empowers customers through their AI transformation as they build and operate cloud applications by providing an observability platform for GCP focusing on applications and AI workloads, and leveraging this platform to offer an engaging observability experience for GCP customers. Through our products, our users gain insights into their systems, applications and AI models, and agents runtime performance and behavior, generate alerts, triage incidents and increase availability. Our team leads Google’s engagement with OpenTelemetry. We believe that high-quality observability should be accessible. We don’t just use open source, we help build it. We are responsible for creating the software, tooling, and frameworks that allow every GCP service and customer application to deliver high-fidelity telemetry data, ensuring seamless operations. Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $207,000-$300,000 bonus equity benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Learn more about benefits at Google . Responsibilities Help define and execute Google’s long-term OpenTelemetry strategy. Act as a representative in OpenTelemetry Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to guide specifications, design, and implementation in collaboration with the global community. Work closely with product management to align open-source contributions with Google Cloud’s high-level goals. Ensure that OpenTelemetry innovations translate into tangible product features for cloud operations. Lead projects in cloud observability and OpenTelemetry engineering, mentoring project staff and fostering a culture of technical excellence and open-source citizenship. Design and implement high-performance telemetry collection software, based on OpenTelemetry, for both internal Google infrastructure and external customer environments. Act as a consulting resource for cloud support and strategic customers. Partner with GCP service teams and external partners to integrate their cloud services with the cloud observability platform, helping them produce high-quality telemetry.

Keywords: Google, Cranston , Staff Software Engineer, Observability, OpenTelemetry, IT / Software / Systems , Cambridge, Rhode Island