Staff Software Developer - FinOps Forecasting Platform

Company Description
It all started in sunny San Diego, California in 2004 when a visionary engineer, Fred Luddy, saw the potential to transform how we work. Fast forward to today - ServiceNow stands as a global market leader, bringing innovative AI-enhanced technology to over 8,100 customers, including 85% of the Fortune 500®. Our intelligent cloud-based platform seamlessly connects people, systems, and processes to empower organizations to find smarter, faster, and better ways to work. But this is just the beginning of our journey. Join us as we pursue our purpose to make the world work better for everyone.
Job Description
Team
Join the Global Cloud Services organization's FinOps Tools team, which is building ServiceNow's next-generation analytics and financial governance platform. Our team owns the full modern data stack: Trino for distributed queries, dbt for transformations, Iceberg for lakehouse architecture, Lightdash for business intelligence, and Argo Workflows for orchestration. You will be the founding engineer dedicated to Forecasting & Planning Applications, creating the full-stack platform that empowers our finance and engineering teams to forecast, plan, and optimize cloud spend at enterprise scale.
Role
We are building a cloud-native forecasting and planning platform that enables data-driven financial governance across ServiceNow's multi-cloud infrastructure. As our founding Staff Software Developer focused on Forecasting & Planning, you will design, architect, and rapidly implement full-stack applications that seamlessly integrate with our existing data stack (Trino, dbt, Iceberg, Lightdash, Argo Workflows).
You will build production-grade forecasting applications from the ground up, translating functional requirements from FinOps stakeholders into robust engineering solutions. This role demands aggressive execution: working MVP in 3 months, full production-scale platform in 6 months.
This is a unique opportunity to build from the ground up and define how financial planning and forecasting happens at ServiceNow's scale.
What you get to do in this role:

• Technical Leadership & Architecture
  • Design and architect full-stack forecasting and planning applications from functional requirements
  • Lead technical decision-making on application architecture, data modeling, and integration patterns
  • Establish best practices for building scalable, maintainable financial applications on Kubernetes
  • Drive innovation in FinOps tooling, leveraging modern web technologies and data platforms
  • Move fast: deliver working MVP in 3 months, production system at scale in 6 months
• Hands-On Full-Stack Development
  • Build modern web applications using React 19, TypeScript, and Vite
  • Develop backend services with Node.js and Express for API development and business logic
  • Implement data access layers integrating with Trino, DuckDB, and Iceberg tables
  • Create intuitive, high-performance user interfaces for complex financial workflows (spreadsheet-like data entry, interactive visualizations, approval workflows)
  • Build RESTful APIs with proper validation, error handling, and documentation
  • Deploy applications on Kubernetes with proper containerization and CI/CD pipelines
• Data Integration & Analytics
  • Integrate forecasting applications with the modern data stack: Trino queries, dbt transformations, Iceberg tables
  • Build data pipelines and ETL workflows using Argo Workflows for automated data processing
  • Implement real-time data synchronization between forecasting applications and data warehouse
  • Create interactive dashboards and visualizations using Recharts, D3.js, or similar libraries
  • Optimize query performance for large-scale financial datasets (millions of rows)
• Platform Foundation
  • Design database schemas and data models for forecasting, planning, and variance analysis
  • Implement authentication, authorization, and audit logging for financial applications
  • Build observability and monitoring for application health, performance, and user activity
  • Establish infrastructure foundation that scales from pilot users to enterprise-wide adoption
  • Deploy and manage applications on Kubernetes with proper resource management and scaling
• Developer Experience & Automation
  • Translate functional requirements from FinOps stakeholders into detailed engineering specifications
  • Build reusable UI components and libraries for financial applications (data grids, charts, forms)
  • Establish development workflows: local development, testing, CI/CD, deployment
  • Create comprehensive documentation for APIs, data models, and user workflows
  • Collaborate closely with FinOps team to rapidly iterate on features and validate usability
• AI-Driven Development
  • Leverage cutting-edge AI development tools (Cursor, Windsurf, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot) to accelerate development velocity
  • Establish AI-augmented development practices and mentor future team members on effective AI tool utilization
  • Drive innovation in AI-assisted code generation, testing, and application optimization
• Collaboration & Integration
  • Work autonomously with guidance from Engineering and FinOps leadership
  • Collaborate with DevOps team on Kubernetes infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and security policies
  • Partner with FinOps Tools team members working on Trino, dbt, Lightdash, and Iceberg to ensure seamless integrations
  • Translate business requirements into technical solutions with clear communication to stakeholders

Qualifications
To be successful in this role you have:

• Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving. This may include using AI-powered tools, automating workflows, analyzing AI-driven insights, or exploring AI's potential impact on the function or industry.
• 8+ years of experience in software engineering with deep expertise in full-stack development and cloud-native architecture with a Bachelor's degree; or 6 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 3 years experience in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field; or equivalent experience.
• Expert-level proficiency in React and TypeScript, particularly building complex, data-intensive web applications
• Strong Node.js and Express skills for backend API development and business logic implementation
• Proven track record of rapid execution in greenfield environments with evolving requirements
• Hands-on experience building and scaling full-stack applications at enterprise scale
• Strong SQL and database design skills for relational and analytical databases
• Experience with Kubernetes and containerization for cloud-native application deployment
• Ability to translate functional requirements into engineering specifications and deliver production-ready solutions
• Full professional proficiency in English

Technical Expertise

• Frontend Development: React 19, TypeScript, Vite, modern state management (Context API, Zustand, Redux)
• UI Libraries: Experience with data-intensive UI components (AG Grid, Handsontable, or similar), charting libraries (Recharts, D3.js)
• Backend Development: Node.js, Express, RESTful API design, authentication/authorization patterns
• Databases: SQL proficiency, experience with DuckDB, PostgreSQL, or similar; understanding of analytical databases (Trino, Presto, BigQuery)
• Data Technologies: Familiarity with dbt, Apache Iceberg, data lakehouse architectures, or modern data stack
• Kubernetes & Containers: Docker, Kubernetes deployments, Helm charts, container orchestration
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or similar; automated testing and deployment pipelines
• Testing: Jest, Vitest, Playwright, or similar testing frameworks
• Version Control: Git workflows, branching strategies, code review practices

Full-Stack Application Development

• Proven track record building full-stack applications from scratch (greenfield projects)
• Experience designing intuitive UIs for complex business workflows (financial planning, data entry, approval processes)
• Strong understanding of application architecture: separation of concerns, API design, data modeling
• Ability to balance rapid prototyping with production-ready code quality
• Experience with performance optimization for data-intensive applications
• Comfort operating at startup velocity within enterprise constraints

Requirements Translation & Communication

• Proven ability to work with non-technical stakeholders to gather and refine requirements
• Strong technical writing skills for documentation, API specs, and design documents
• Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions with clear tradeoffs
• Experience presenting technical concepts to diverse audiences (engineers, finance, leadership)
• Excellent collaboration skills across engineering, finance, and operations teams

Leadership & Autonomy

• Proven ability to work autonomously and drive technical decisions in ambiguous, greenfield environments
• Strong bias toward action: prototype quickly, gather feedback, iterate aggressively
• Ability to establish technical foundations for new products with long-term vision while delivering short-term results
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and establishing coding standards

Nice to Have

• Experience building financial planning, forecasting, or budgeting applications
• Familiarity with FinOps principles and cloud cost management
• Experience with Argo Workflows, Airflow, or similar workflow orchestration tools
• Experience with Lightdash, Redash, Metabase, or similar BI tools
• Experience with JupyterHub or notebook-based analytics platforms
• Open-source contributions to React, data visualization, or FinOps tools
• Conference speaking or technical blogging on full-stack development or FinOps

GCS-23
For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $163,600 - $286,300, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.
Additional Information
Work Personas
We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here . To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.
Equal Opportunity Employer
ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.
Accommodations
We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance.
Export Control Regulations
For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.
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