Staff Software Engineer, Backend
About the role
This role is located in our New York City office in SoHo. As Staff Backend Engineer, you will set the technical direction for our backend systems, write production code daily, and partner with engineering leads and product managers to scope large initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
Own backend architecture across multiple services and team boundaries, from design through implementation.
Write production code daily and set the standard on quality, reliability, and engineering practice.
Partner with engineering leads and product managers to scope large initiatives and define what "done" actually means.
Improve scalability, performance, and reliability as the platform grows.
Identify and clear technical debt across teams, not only within your immediate scope.
Build security and observability into systems from day one rather than bolting them on later.
Build with data in mind: instrumentation, pipelines, and tooling that surface meaningful insight for organizers and the business.
Mentor engineers across levels and shape technical culture through reviews, design discussions, and direct coaching.
Help us hire well — participate in technical interviews and calibration.
Ideal Candidate
8+ years of backend engineering experience, including time as a Staff, Principal, or technical lead.
Deep expertise in backend systems: APIs, data modeling, distributed systems, event-driven architecture.
Strong working knowledge of the full stack.
Proficient in technologies relevant to our stack (e.g., Java, Node.js, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, AWS or similar cloud providers).
Has scaled platforms operationally, not just designed them on paper.
Practical about technology choices. Picks the right tool for the problem and can defend the tradeoff.
Communicates technical tradeoffs clearly to engineers, product, and business leaders.
Mentors and raises the engineering bar for the people around them.
Experience at a consumer, social, or marketplace company is a plus — those are the users we build for.
What to Include in Your Application
Please include links to your GitHub profile or a portfolio of past projects.
Equal Employment Opportunity
We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Compensation Range
$250K - $300K