Distinguished Engineer

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together. Role Overview As the most senior Individual Contributor (IC) in our Chennai office, you will serve as the site’s Technical North Star and strategic engineering partner. Reporting directly to the VP of Engineering, you are the steward of our technical excellence, responsible for defining high-level architectural direction and maintaining a world-class engineering bar across all local domains. This is a force multiplier role. You are not just a lead developer; you are the person who ensures our regional engineering efforts align with global business goals. You will provide the technical cohesion necessary to build scalable, secure, and and operationally elite systems while mentoring the next generation of high-level individual contributors. Key Responsibilities Architectural Stewardship: Own the high-level technical roadmap for the Chennai site. Lead the transition of core engines and large-scale monoliths into modern, distributed, cloud-native ecosystems. Engineering Standards: Drive site-wide quality through rigorous design reviews and the establishment of technical tenets that prioritize long-term system health over short-term delivery. AI-First Evolution: Design and implement automation-led architectures and AI-integrated workflows to enhance both engineering velocity and product intelligence. Principal Mentorship: Act as the primary mentor for Staff and Principal-level ICs, guiding them through complex system trade-offs and career growth toward organizational leadership. Strategic Advisory: Partner with the VP of Engineering to identify technical risks, bridge platform gaps, and ensure the Chennai office operates as a global center of innovation. Cross-Domain Cohesion: Facilitate technical councils and RFC processes to ensure architectural consistency and knowledge sharing across disparate product teams. Required Experience & Skills 15+ Years of Systems Engineering: A deep history of designing, deploying, and maintaining high-traffic, large-scale software systems. Organizational Influence: Proven ability to shift the technical trajectory of multiple teams or business units without direct reporting authority. Architectural Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of distributed systems, cloud-native patterns, and microservices at global scale. Systems Thinking: An "automation-first" mindset with experience integrating AI/ML or advanced CI/CD into the core development lifecycle. Data-Driven Leadership: Ability to drive consensus among senior stakeholders using objective architectural principles and technical merit. Preferred Qualifications Global Scale Experience: Previous experience operating at a Staff+ or Principal level within a global engineering organization, impacting multi-region infrastructures. Modernization Track Record: Demonstrated success in re-architecting legacy core engines into high-performance, modular platforms. Technical Community Leader: Experience building internal engineering cultures, from hosting deep-dive sessions to formalizing site-wide RFC standards. Tools and Resources Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires. Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities. Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company. Benefits Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to. About Appian Appian provides process automation technology. We automate complex processes in large enterprises and governments. Our platform is known for its unique reliability and scale. We’ve been automating processes for 25 years and understand enterprise operations like no one else. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN] Follow Appian: LinkedIn, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at ReasonableAccommodations@appian.com. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address. Appian's Applicant & Candidate Privacy Notice