Backend Software Engineer

About the Role

A fast-growing cybersecurity startup is hiring a Backend / Distributed Systems Engineer to help build and scale an AI-powered platform that protects millions of users from account compromise in real time. The team is small and highly capable, and this person will own critical infrastructure from day one while working directly with founders on the systems that define the company's technical edge.

The ideal candidate has 2 to 4 years of backend or distributed systems experience, has designed and shipped systems end-to-end, and thrives with a wide ownership scope. A background in quantitative trading, high-frequency systems, or infrastructure at a top-tier tech company is a strong plus. CS degree from a top-30 U.S. program preferred. Above all, this role calls for someone with high agency who scopes, designs, and ships without waiting for direction.

Key Responsibilities

1. Design and build real-time signal ingestion pipelines and behavioral analysis systems that detect account compromise at scale
2. Architect backend infrastructure to support 10 to 100x growth over the next six months
3. Ship ML and AI-integrated systems into production, not just prototypes
4. Establish engineering patterns and raise the technical bar across a lean, senior team
5. Work directly with founders to evolve the core detection platform
6. Own distributed systems design and database scaling decisions end-to-end
7. Identify and resolve high-uptime, high-stakes reliability challenges as they emerge

Required Skills & Experience

• 2 to 4 years of experience in backend or distributed systems engineering
• Demonstrated experience building high-stakes, data-intensive systems at scale (real-time ingestion pipelines, distributed processing, or databases)
• Proven track record designing and building systems end-to-end with broad ownership
• Strong fundamentals in distributed systems architecture and database scaling
• High agency; independently scopes, designs, and ships without waiting for direction
• CS degree from a top-30 U.S. university
• Must be based in or willing to relocate to San Francisco and work on-site five days per week

Preferred Skills

• Background in quantitative or algorithmic trading environments (Citadel, Point72, or similar) or infrastructure roles at top-tier tech companies (Meta, Google, Rippling, or similar)
• Startup experience with large ownership scope and minimal process
• Proficiency in performance-oriented languages such as Go, Rust, Java, C++, Python, or TypeScript/Node.js
• Openness to visa transfers (OPT, H-1B) considered