Software Dev Engineer II

Summary

Yahoo Mail is a consumer email service whose AntiSpam and Delivery Engineering teams build reliable, high-performing systems for spam protection and message delivery. This role develops and operates distributed systems, translates requirements into production code, troubleshoots high-throughput services, and contributes to technical design and code reviews with minimal guidance.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate distributed systems for inbound protection, entity reputation, traffic shaping, and message delivery
• Use AI-assisted development tools as part of your daily workflow, validating and refining what they produce rather than accepting it blindly
• Translate defined technical requirements into correct, readable, testable code, and deploy continuously to production
• Troubleshoot software failures and tune performance across high-throughput services
• Design and simplify existing components under minimal guidance
• Review peers' code, give constructive feedback, and help with estimation

Skills

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field, with a strong grasp of fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and networking
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Codex, with sound judgment over correctness, security, and maintainability
• 3+ years of backend-focused software development experience in Java, Go, or C++ (we are primarily a Java team, with some systems in Go)
• Solid understanding of cloud computing concepts: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
• Machine learning knowledge with some hands-on AI coding experience
• Experience with a public cloud (Google Cloud Platform or AWS)
• Experience with containers (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes), preferably on Google Cloud Platform
• Experience designing and building high-performing, complex server applications on Unix/Linux
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills, including performance tuning
• A clear communicator who enjoys helping people and stays constructive under pressure
• Strong understanding of network programming and client/server architecture
• Familiarity with best practices for cloud security, scalability, and performance optimization
• Professional experience with high-availability, high-throughput distributed systems
• Experience with big data technologies such as Hadoop, HBase, and Spark
• Experience in algorithm design and ML/AI
• Experience with queuing and streaming technologies such as Kafka or Apache Storm
• Experience with databases such as PostgreSQL
• Working knowledge of a scripting language such as Python, Perl, or Ruby
• Knowledge of Scrum and Agile methodologies

Qualifications

Must Haves

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field, with a strong grasp of fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and networking
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Codex, with sound judgment over correctness, security, and maintainability
• 3+ years of backend-focused software development experience in Java, Go, or C++ (we are primarily a Java team, with some systems in Go)
• Solid understanding of cloud computing concepts: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
• Machine learning knowledge with some hands-on AI coding experience
• Experience with a public cloud (Google Cloud Platform or AWS)
• Experience with containers (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes), preferably on Google Cloud Platform
• Experience designing and building high-performing, complex server applications on Unix/Linux
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills, including performance tuning
• A clear communicator who enjoys helping people and stays constructive under pressure

Nice to Haves

• Strong understanding of network programming and client/server architecture
• Familiarity with best practices for cloud security, scalability, and performance optimization
• Professional experience with high-availability, high-throughput distributed systems
• Experience with big data technologies such as Hadoop, HBase, and Spark
• Experience in algorithm design and ML/AI
• Experience with queuing and streaming technologies such as Kafka or Apache Storm
• Experience with databases such as PostgreSQL
• Working knowledge of a scripting language such as Python, Perl, or Ruby
• Knowledge of Scrum and Agile methodologies

Benefits

• Flexible hybrid work options
• Discretionary annual bonus or commissions
• Healthcare
• 401k
• Backup childcare
• Education stipends
• Employee resource groups (ERGs) with programs, events and fellowship