Lead Backend Software Engineer ($185K – $240K + Equity) at Beacon AI Inc.

Role Overview

Beacon AI Inc. builds AI-powered pilot assistance systems for commercial and defense aviation. Their hardware-lite platform integrates flight data, intelligent tools, and analytics to deliver real-time cockpit support. Led by former military pilots and autonomous vehicle engineers, the company focuses on augmenting, not replacing, pilots to improve safety, reduce workload, and optimize fleet operations.

What You Will Do

• Architect, build, and maintain mission-critical backend services and distributed systems using Python and Node.js to support real-time flight data.
• Design and implement secure, scalable APIs and data pipelines for efficient ingestion and processing of time-series and multimedia aviation data.
• Lead technical design discussions and code reviews while ensuring the reliability, performance, and scalability of production cloud infrastructure.

Who This Is A Fit For

• 5+ years of experience designing and implementing backend services and distributed systems in production environments.
• High proficiency in modern backend languages, specifically Python and JavaScript/TypeScript (Node.js), with experience scaling backend infrastructure.
• Strong ownership mindset with a track record of driving end-to-end features from concept through deployment in evolving, fast-paced environments.

Why This Role Is Remarkable

• Directly impact aviation safety by building technology that helps pilots interact with aircraft and saves lives in real-world scenarios.
• Join a high-growth, well-funded startup with a dozen Department of Defense contracts and partnerships with major commercial airlines.
• Work in a high-ownership, hybrid environment in San Carlos where small, focused teams ship quickly without silos or heavy bureaucracy.