Backend Engineer

What We're Looking For

We’re looking for a Backend Engineer to help develop and scale the Lightning AI platform, spanning APIs, infrastructure, billing, security, and integrations. In this role, you’ll take ownership of key features and drive them end-to-end, working closely with engineering, product, and design to ship high-quality, iterative improvements. This is an opportunity to build systems that support real-world machine learning workloads at scale.

This role is based in one of our hubs (Seattle, NYC, SF, or London), with a minimum of 2 in-office days per week and occasional team and company offsites. We are not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position at this time.

What You’ll Do

• Write readable/testable/efficient code in Go (Golang).
• Build deep expertise in our technology stack to deliver new features, improve system stability, and increase overall performance.
• Partner with engineering and product leaders on developing the Lightning product while using your experience to set the technical direction for large projects.
• Evaluate, strengthen, and document technical architecture, tools, and processes.
• Maintain software quality, implement automation, drive continuous delivery, and reduce time to production while proactively reducing technical debt.
• Mentor and coach engineers on system design, operating in high uncertainty, and problem-solving to create a supportive, inclusive environment where each engineer can grow.

What You’ll Need

• Extensive experience writing efficient, maintainable code in Go. Familiarity with best practices in testing, readability, and optimization is essential.
• Broad knowledge of backend and frontend systems, with experience building and scaling APIs, CLI tools, billing systems, and security protocols. Exposure to frontend frameworks is a plus.
• Experience with cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure and designing systems that are reliable, performant, and scalable. Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) is a strong advantage.
• Proven ability to take ownership of key features and drive end-to-end development
• Commitment to software quality, test automation, and continuous delivery. Experience proactively managing technical debt and speeding up time to production.
• Hands-on experience as a backend or product engineer in a SaaS technology company
• Communication and collaboration with engineers, product managers, and designers
• Ability to operate in high uncertainty and rapidly changing environments

Compensation

We are committed to offering competitive compensation that reflects the value each team member brings to our mission. Final offers are based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, and role expectations. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package for eligible roles includes a discretionary bonus, a meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits.

The anticipated annual base salary range for this role is:

$180,000—$250,000 USD

Benefits and Perks

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
• Meaningful Equity: RSUs that give employees a stake in the company's long-term success.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) matching (U.S.) and pension contributions (U.K.).
• Flexible Time Off: Unlimited PTO, company holidays, and floating holidays to support work-life balance.
• Company-Wide Winter Break: Two weeks of company closure each winter to disconnect and recharge.
• Paid Parental & Family Leave: Paid leave to support you and your family through life's important moments.
• Professional Development: Annual learning and development allowance to support your professional growth.
• Wellness Benefits: Wellness and work-from-home stipends to support your physical and mental well-being.
• Sabbatical Program: Four weeks of paid sabbatical leave after four years of service.
• Flexible Work: Flexible schedules and a hybrid work model for our office-based teams.
• In-Office Meals: Complimentary meals at our office hubs.