The Smartsheet Bulgaria engineers are building some of the most technically ambitious work in the company — from large-scale infrastructure to the AI integrations shaping where the product is headed. Alongside this, they’re also maintaining an engaging, exciting team culture. We asked several team members in Bulgaria questions about what it’s like to work for Smartsheet.
What does a typical week look like for you?
A typical week is dynamic and rarely looks exactly the same twice. My core focus involves balancing day-to-day operations with longer-term goals — a lot of analyzing complex situations and making tough decisions to keep projects moving forward. But I consider my most important responsibility to be my team: backing them up, clearing roadblocks, and making sure they can do their best work. — Dobri Kostadinov, Senior Software Engineer II
A typical week is a mix of writing code and solving problems with the team. Most days, I spend my time in deep work — building new features for our MCP tools or fixing bugs. We also spend time reviewing each other’s code to make sure everything is high quality before it goes to customers. The part that surprised me most was the speed. Here, if you write a great piece of code on Tuesday, it can be working for real users by Thursday. — Kaloyan Gangov, Software Engineer II
A typical week includes writing code, using AI assistants, brainstorming solutions, defining the next sprint tasks, and evaluating the direction of the project. Collaborating with cross-functional teams is also a key part of my schedule — allowing for diverse perspectives and creative problem-solving. — Valentin Varbanov, Senior Software Engineer I
What’s something you’ve built recently that makes you proud?
I led the refactoring of our team’s CI/CD infrastructure. As a mobile developer by trade, this required me to step completely outside my comfort zone — diving into Infrastructure-as-Code, AWS, Terraform, and Terragrunt from scratch. What I loved most wasn’t just tackling the complexity and winning, but the fact that I was building something that directly improved my entire team’s daily workflow. — Dobri Kostadinov, Senior Software Engineer II
I recently led an overhaul of one of our services — taking it from a non-scalable, manually deployed setup to a modern containerized microservice that’s easy to maintain, easy to test, and cost-efficient. What I’m most proud of is the ripple effect: the data ingestion pipelines we built are now being adopted across other projects and introduced into other services company-wide. — Georg-Nikola Pavlov, Senior Software Engineer I
Two things. The first is building the Bulgaria engineering team from the ground up — and I mean that literally. I was the first hire and the site leader here, which means everything that came after started with that foundation. Watching early hires step into squad lead and tech lead roles, and then helping bring in the next wave, has been incredibly rewarding. The second is the Smartsheet MCP connector for Claude, which went GA on March 2nd. The Bulgaria team was deeply involved in building this, and seeing it go from a listing negotiation with Anthropic all the way to customers’ hands in a matter of weeks was something special. — Kalin Kanev, Senior Director, Engineering
How does the team celebrate and support each other’s growth?
We share achievements across the team and company-wide, which fosters a culture of celebrating success and drawing inspiration from each other’s work. Recognition isn’t limited to big launches — smaller wins and clever solutions get highlighted too, which keeps motivation high. On the learning side, time and support are actually set aside for professional development. It’s not just lip service. — Georg-Nikola Pavlov, Senior Software Engineer I
In my team, we release a new version of our product every two weeks. After every release, we gather for team building to celebrate. I love this tradition because it bonds people and brings back the social aspect that’s easy to lose when working remotely. — Raycho Kostadinov, Software Engineer II
I was really nicely surprised when one of our principal engineers congratulated me for the work I’m doing — I’d only been here a couple of months. It feels like the people on this team are genuinely paying attention and want everyone to feel valued. — Vasil Vasilev, Software Engineer II
Can you share a memorable experience with the Bulgaria team?
There's a moment I keep coming back to. We were close to a deadline, and something unexpected surfaced — the kind of thing that could have derailed the whole timeline. Without anyone being asked, the team just rallied. People stayed on, picked up pieces that weren't even theirs to carry, and kept the mood light even when the pressure was real. We got through it, and afterward nobody made it a big deal — it was just ... what we do. That moment told me more about this team than any onboarding session could. There's a quiet solidarity here that I hadn't seen in other places I'd worked, and it makes a real difference. — Dimitar Gradev, Senior Software Engineer I
There was a moment around the MCP connector launch where wires got crossed about what ‘listing’ actually meant in terms of access, and I had to step in to make sure we were going to Anthropic as a unified team with one clear voice. That kind of moment — where you have to hold the line, keep people aligned, and still move fast — is where you see what a team is made of. And we delivered. The kudos list in the release announcement had names I’d personally hired and grown here. That’s the stuff that sticks with you. — Kalin Kanev, Senior Director, Engineering
Our on-site in London stands out. It happened shortly after most of us had started, and it helped us get to know each other beyond the screen. We had time to explore the city in the evenings, and we often finished the day on the hotel’s rooftop terrace, chatting until midnight. My best work trip by far. — Raycho Kostadinov, Software Engineer II
If working here had a soundtrack, what would be on it?
“Started From the Bottom” by Drake. “With a Little Help from My Friends” by The Beatles. “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. That’s probably the right mix. — Georg-Nikola Pavlov, Senior Software Engineer I
Definitely rock. For the long architecture discussions and cross-timezone planning calls, something classic — Dire Straits, maybe some Radiohead. When a sprint is on fire and we need to move fast, something heavier. And for the moments where something just clicks and you realize the people around you are really good — those deserve something anthemic. The EMEA team has earned a few of those moments. — Kalin Kanev, Senior Director, Engineering
I’d start with “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk — we’re always optimizing the MCP and trying to make our tools more efficient. Then the “Interstellar” theme by Hans Zimmer for those moments deep in AI research with Anthropic, exploring new frontiers. And something upbeat like “Happy” by Pharrell Williams for when the team solves a tough problem together. — Kaloyan Gangov, Software Engineer II
Listen to their team soundtrack on Spotify!
The Bulgaria team is growing, and so are the opportunities to join it. Whether you’re drawn to the frontier of AI infrastructure, the challenge of large-scale systems, or a team culture that takes both the work and the people seriously — this is where the brightest and best build what’s next.
Explore open roles on the Bulgaria team.