Staff Backend Software Engineer
AI Messaging Infrastructure Startup · San Francisco, CA (On-site)
- Compensation
- $225k – $300k
- Equity
- Competitive equity
- Location
- San Francisco, CA (On-site)
- Stage
- Series A
The process
- Step 1Application readA recruiter replies within seven days
- Step 2If it is a yesA recruiter contacts you about next steps
- Step 3Company interviewsEach company sets its own
A recruiter replies within seven days. Yes or no.
Who this is not for
- Not remote — you are in the San Francisco office five days a week.
- Not for engineers whose careers have been mostly at large companies, or who lean toward the frontend.
About the company
Our client is a Series A startup in San Francisco building AI-first outbound messaging infrastructure that brands use to run campaigns at scale. It has real traction, backing from well-known investors and several new lines of business launching, and the engineering team is still small, so each engineer owns a large part of the system.
The role
You would join as a staff-level backend engineer owning core systems across routing, messaging, delivery and automation. This is an individual-contributor role with a lot of technical scope: you take whole product surfaces from zero to one rather than individual features, and you solve hard infrastructure problems at scale while moving quickly from idea to production. The team works together in person in San Francisco five days a week. It suits a backend-focused engineer with strong career velocity who has spent several years at high-growth, early-stage startups.
What you'll do
- Own and build core backend systems across routing, messaging, delivery and automation
- Design and ship scalable production services that handle a very high volume of messages every month
- Drive zero-to-one product development, building entire product surfaces rather than individual features
- Work closely with a small, collaborative engineering team
- Solve hard infrastructure problems at scale and move quickly from idea to production
Nice to have
- Some frontend development experience
- Visible career growth, such as promotions and widening scope at companies with a high talent bar
Tech stack
Node.js, TypeScript, AWS and queue-based infrastructure such as SQS.
Compensation & logistics
- $225k–$300k base, plus competitive equity
- Full health benefits, including vision, and unlimited PTO
- On-site in San Francisco five days a week — this is not a remote role
- No visa sponsorship: open only to candidates who are legally authorized to work in the US and do not need visa sponsorship now or in the future
- 6+ years of backend-heavy software engineering experience
- 3 hires planned
- Five interview stages
- Full-time
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