Remote
Americas
$180K–$215K
💻Engineering
Early Access — Help us improve! Share your feedback.
We use cookies to improve your experience and measure how our site is used. Learn more.
Thunderbird is one of the world’s most trusted open-source email applications, empowering more than 20 million people globally. At Thunderbird, we build privacy-respecting communication and productivity tools that help people manage their digital lives while staying in control of their data.
We are open source by design. Our products are developed transparently and in collaboration with a global community of contributors, and that same spirit shapes how we work: collaboratively, inclusively, and with a shared commitment to putting users first.
Our small but growing distributed team includes more than 65 people across seven countries. As Thunderbird evolves beyond a single desktop application, we are expanding across desktop, mobile, paid services, AI offerings, and enterprise-facing work to build independent, privacy-respecting alternatives to big tech ecosystems.
Our revenue model combines user donations, which help keep Thunderbird’s applications freely available, with paid services that cover the costs of hosted offerings while supporting long-term sustainability and continued innovation.
A note about Thunderbird and Mozilla: Thunderbird Technologies Corporation is the nonprofit-owned company behind Thunderbird email and a growing portfolio of products. While part of the Mozilla family, Thunderbird is a separate entity from Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Foundation with its own compensation programs, benefits, and employment policies.
To learn more, visit www.thunderbird.net
As a Staff Software Engineer, Services, you’ll help shape the architecture and technical direction of web-based products that extend Thunderbird beyond email. The Services team is currently focused on building offerings such as an appointment calendar and secure file storage and transfer solutions, creating valuable experiences for our users while supporting additional revenue streams for Thunderbird.
This is a Staff-level individual contributor role with significant technical ownership and influence. You’ll work with designers, engineers, and community members to write code, build prototypes, solve complex problems, and make technical decisions that shape our products. You’ll take a holistic view of our code and systems, helping establish the architecture and software patterns that allow our Services products to evolve and scale.
You’ll also take on broad, ambiguous problems that have a direct impact on our goals, from improving our technical architecture to helping grow Services users and subscribers. Along the way, you’ll provide technical and product direction across teams, mentor other engineers, and identify ways to make our systems and processes more sustainable, scalable, and easier to work with.
Success in this role will look like a strong technical leader who not only helps the Web Services team grow, but also has a direct hand in helping Thunderbird grow and evolve our product offerings.
Over time, your work will help:
This is a full-time, fully remote position. You’ll join a distributed team of Thunderbird staff, open-source community members, and contributors from around the world.
We rely on clear communication, thoughtful documentation, and collaborative decision-making to work effectively across time zones and disciplines.
In this role, you’ll collaborate closely with designers, engineers, cross-functional teams across Thunderbird, other parts of Mozilla, and community contributors.
We benchmark our base salaries to local markets and target the 60th percentile of the peer market. The salary ranges for this role are:
We may consider candidates with strong skills but less than the required experience. Title, level and compensation will be determined based on qualifications and experience.
In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your whole self.
Rest & play
Health & family
Work eligibility
Applicants must reside in and have permanent work authorization for the country location(s) specified in the posting. We are unable to consider applicants outside of these markets at this time. And, we do not provide visa sponsorship.
How to apply
Please apply directly through our career page. We carefully review every cover letter and screening question, so take the time to answer each fully. We value authentic, thoughtful responses that reflect your own experience and perspective. It is fine to use AI tools to polish your writing, but your answers should be your own. Candidates who submit generic or unoriginal AI-generated responses may be disqualified from further consideration.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Thunderbird believes in the value of diverse creative practices and forms of knowledge, and knows diversity, equity and inclusion are crucial to and enrich the company’s core mission. We encourage applications from everyone, including members of all equity-seeking communities, such as (but not limited to) women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.
We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race (including hairstyle and texture), religion (including religious grooming and dress practices), gender, gender identity, gender expression, color, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, domestic partner status, disability, sexual orientation, age, genetic predisposition, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, or any other basis covered by applicable laws. Thunderbird will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics or any other unlawful behavior, conduct, or purpose.
We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, as appropriate. Please contact us at hiringaccommodations@thunderbird.net to request accommodation.
USD 180,000 - 215,000
Annually
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Wellness Programs
Gender Affirming Care
401(k) / Retirement Plan
Performance Bonus
Pay Transparency
Paid Holidays
PTO / Vacation
Sick Days
Company Shutdown Days
Internet Stipend
Home Office Stipend
Company Equipment
Company Offsites / Retreats
Parental Leave
Learning & Development Budget
Employee Referral Bonus
Employee Resource Groups
No. When Mozilla reopened its offices in April 2022, nobody was required to come back. For people who want a place to work, its locations page lists offices or coworking spaces in San Francisco, San Mateo, Berlin, Toronto, New York City, Paris, London and Tulsa.
Mozilla Corporation is a private company, so compensation is not tied to stock options or equity plans. Instead, it offers performance-based bonus plans to all regular employees and makes a 401(k) or RRSP contribution whether or not you contribute yourself, with 100% vesting. Most of its job postings publish hiring ranges broken out by geographic tier.
Not necessarily. Mozilla states its 100% coverage of medical, dental and vision premiums, its 26 weeks of paid parental leave for childbearing parents and 12 weeks for non-childbearing parents, and its 12 paid holidays for employees based in the U.S. and Canada, and its benefits page notes that global benefits vary by location. The quarterly wellness days are described as all-company. Candidates based elsewhere should ask about the local package during the hiring process.
No. Thunderbird roles are with MZLA Technologies, which its own postings describe as separate from Mozilla Corporation, with its own compensation programs, benefits and employment policies. The same careers board can also carry roles for other parts of the Mozilla family, such as the Mozilla Foundation, so check the employing entity on each posting before assuming the pay and benefits on this profile apply.
Relocation Assistance
Birthday Off
Bereavement Leave
