Principal Scientist

About the Role
CoreTech is the platform organization underneath Adobe's creative applications, the shared core libraries, graphics pipeline, and infrastructure that let multiple product teams build without each solving the same problems on their own. Within that portfolio, the rendering and typography stack, how text and vector content get laid out, shaped, and drawn, sits at the center, and this role is its primary technical owner. It also carries oversight across the rest of CoreTech's core libraries and platform infrastructure, making sure that broader portfolio moves in step with the rendering and typography roadmap. The influence expected here extends beyond Adobe, and should shape how the industry approaches these problems, not just how CoreTech does.

The job is as much about where this goes next as where it stands today. That means thinking ahead for a wide spread of technologies at once, not just the stack as it exists now, but where it and the platforms around it need to be over the next several years, and what has to change to get there. That change isn't only technical: modernizing the stack and modernizing the process behind it go together, including weaving AI end to end through design, development, testing, and release in service of real velocity gains, not a single tool bolted onto an old workflow. And none of it counts unless the product teams building on this stack actually feel the difference. Every one of them is effectively a customer of CoreTech, and their satisfaction, through reliability, responsiveness, and clear communication, matters as much as the architecture itself.

What You'll Do

• Own the technical architecture of the rendering and typography stack: text layout, shaping, font handling, vector rendering, across the products it powers.

• Set the strategic direction for how that stacks, and the engineering process around it, modernizes on a large, mature C++ codebase, balancing safety, security, and long-term maintainability.

• Champion AI-native development end to end, from design through testing and release, in service of measurable velocity gains, not just tool adoption.

• Extend that architectural judgment across CoreTech's wider library portfolio where a decision carries cross-product risk.

• Treat every product team that depends on CoreTech as a customer, and be accountable for how reliable, well communicated, and adaptable that relationship feels.

• Represent the roadmap to the engineering leadership of the product teams it serves, build the senior-level partnerships that make that influence possible, and mentor engineers moving toward senior and principal technical roles.

What You Bring

• 18+ years of experience, with deep hands-on expertise in rendering and/or typography systems (text layout, shaping, font handling, rasterization, vector graphics) in a large-scale, mature C++ codebase.

• Graphics/rendering or GPU API experience (DirectX 12, Metal, Vulkan) strongly preferred.

• A track record of owning architecture for a platform area of real, demonstrated business importance, with peer recognition beyond your immediate team.

• Hands-on experience modernizing mature codebases at scale, with an eye toward long-term safety, security, and maintainability.

• Comfort being the final technical word across multiple teams without formal authority over all of them.

• A clear point of view on using AI-assisted development responsibly in a mature, security-sensitive codebase.

• Advanced degree in Computer Science or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience.

Adobe has been recognized on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for 20 consecutive years. Here, you’ll be surrounded by colleagues who push boundaries, lift each other up, and are deeply committed to making an impact. We believe creativity and innovation thrive when everyone feels included—our vision of Adobe For All means you’ll be part of a culture where your voice matters.

Adobe is an equal opportunity employer. We hire dedicated individuals, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, cultural background or religious beliefs. We know that when our employees feel appreciated and included, they can be more creative, innovative and successful. This is what it means to be Adobe For All. Learn more about our vision here.

About Adobe

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.

Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours. 

Let’s Adobe together

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.

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AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:
Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.

At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.