Full-Time

Principal Software Engineer

Posted on 10/3/2025

Lawn Starter

Lawn Starter

201-500 employees

Marketplace for insured lawn care pros

Compensation Overview

$130k - $180k/yr

+ Base Salary

Remote in USA

Remote

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Microsoft Azure
React.js
NoSQL
SQL
AWS
REST APIs
Google Cloud Platform
Requirements
  • A principal engineer, lead full-stack engineer, or someone with relevant experience in similar roles.
  • Highly skilled in both server-side and client-side software development.
  • Familiar with cloud development (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure).
  • Experienced with Test Driven Development (TDD), RESTful APIs, React, MVC frameworks, and security concerns (e.g., XSS attacks).
  • You can explain concepts like Big O notation, pointers, composition vs inheritance, and data structures such as arrays, sets, and linked lists.
  • Proficient in SQL and NoSQL databases, and understand operations like CRUD, indexes, and joins.
  • Comfortable working with cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS Lambda, ECS, EKS, Aurora) and utilizing Infrastructure as Code (IAC).
  • Passionate about clean code and building customer-driven solutions with a focus on quality and reliability.
Responsibilities
  • Collaborate on designing and implementing system architecture, technical strategy, and engineering standards.
  • Lead technical initiatives across teams, ensuring alignment with architectural direction and goals.
  • Build and maintain platform-level components, services, and libraries that enhance engineering efficiency and system maintainability.
  • Mentor engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and hands-on guidance.
  • Contribute directly to both server-side and client-side development across the entire stack.
  • Write and review technical design documents, system diagrams, and reference implementations.
  • Evaluate and implement new tools, frameworks, and best practices to continuously improve our platform.
  • Enhance observability, performance, scalability, and security throughout our system.
  • Share knowledge and insights to foster team growth and improvement.

LawnStarter operates as an online marketplace that connects homeowners and property managers with local, insured lawn care professionals who provide services such as mowing, aeration, landscaping, pest control, irrigation, and tree care. Customers book services online, track orders, and leave feedback, while LawnStarter verifies providers and ensures they are insured. The company earns revenue by taking a commission from each transaction and by offering a subscription for regular lawn maintenance. It differentiates itself through a vetted network of insured providers, a streamlined online experience, and community initiatives like the Lawntrepreneur Scholarship. The goal is to make lawn care easy and reliable at scale by delivering high-quality service through a transparent, tech-enabled marketplace and to support the next generation of lawn care entrepreneurs.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Early VC

Total Funding

$17.7M

Headquarters

Austin, Texas

Founded

2013

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Achieved first annual profit in 2023 with 37% revenue growth.
  • Surpassed $100 million bookings and second profitable year by 2025.
  • Launched proprietary AI in 2025 to expand into indoor services.

What critics are saying

  • Lawn Love erodes market share in overlapping cities within 6-12 months.
  • Inconsistent revenue reports from $5.4M to $61.5M deter investors now.
  • Thumbtack's superior AI causes 20-30% provider churn in 12-24 months.

What makes Lawn Starter unique

  • Algorithms optimize geolocation for pro route density and profitability.
  • Instant satellite-based quotes enable seamless online booking.
  • Vets insured professionals across 30+ outdoor services like aeration and pest control.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Remote Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
Teknovation.biz
Aug 14th, 2024
Lawnstarter Ranks 499 Cities In Friendliness For Remote Workers

Like this story? Please share!LawnStarter ranks 499 cities in friendliness for remote workers Franklin, TN is best in the Volunteer State, placing #33 on the list.LawnStarter, a lawn servicing company, has ranked 499 larger cities across the country in terms of the best communities for remote workers. The methodology that was used to arrive at the rankings considered eight factors: Access, Workspace, Financial Incentives, Connectivity, Safety, Affordability, Amenities, and Interest.The top Tennessee city was Franklin which placed #33 nationally, besting three other Middle Tennessee cities – Murfreesboro (#54), Nashville (#141), and Clarksville (#153). Chattanooga at #163 was the highest-ranked non-midstate city followed by Knoxville (#271) and Memphis (#333).A further description of the factors that LawnStarter considered included:Access was defined as remote job opportunities.was defined as remote job opportunities. Workspace included availability of both personal and co-working spaces and share of homes with one or less occupants per room.included availability of both personal and co-working spaces and share of homes with one or less occupants per room. Financial incentives were defined as availability of city, county, or state incentive(s) for incoming remote workers.were defined as availability of city, county, or state incentive(s) for incoming remote workers. Connectivity covered everything from 5G home internet coverage to average internet speed, broadband coverage, and number of Internet Service Providers.covered everything from 5G home internet coverage to average internet speed, broadband coverage, and number of Internet Service Providers

Townsquare Media
Jun 27th, 2024
Two New Jersey Cities Are Among The Dirtiest In America

LawnStarter ranked 2024's "Dirtiest Cities in America".

CommunityQ
Feb 1st, 2024
2024's best bachelor party destinations for golfers

Ahead of the wedding season, LawnStarter ranked 2024's best bachelor party destinations for golfers.

Business Wire
Jan 30th, 2024
Lawnstarter Mows Down Milestones, Hits Profitability In 10Th Year

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LawnStarter, which makes it easy to book lawn care and other outdoor services, finished 2023 in the green. The Austin-based startup capped its 10th year with its first annual profit. “This is a massive milestone,” LawnStarter CEO Steve Corcoran says. How big of a milestone? Often called the Uber of Outdoor Services, LawnStarter took 10 years to record a profitable year. It took 13 years for Uber to hit that mark

Townsquare Media
Nov 8th, 2023
Impressive! The SECOND Most Sustainable City In The U.S. Is In Massachusetts

Recently, the online lawn maintenance marketplace LawnStarter released its rankings of 2023's Most Sustainable Cities, and wonder of wonders, the 2nd most sustainable city in America is right here in Massachusetts!

INACTIVE