Backend Engineer

Enboarder; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Slang AI is redefining customer engagement with AI-powered conversations for the restaurant industry. As a Software Engineer, you’ll contribute across backend and frontend areas, focusing mainly on Kotlin-based services and occasional React/TypeScript work.

You’ll collaborate with product managers and engineers, attend daily standups, and mentor junior engineers as you grow into senior roles while delivering scalable, reliable systems.

Qualifications

• Proficient in Kotlin backend development.
• Experience building GraphQL APIs.
• Experience with Twilio telephony and Dialogflow.
• Knowledge of Firestore data modelling and cloud storage.
• Strong testing (unit/integration/end-to-end) and observability.
• Familiarity with modern CI/CD and code reviews.
• Frontend exposure with React/TypeScript is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable Kotlin backend services following domain-driven design.
• Develop and maintain GraphQL APIs for internal and external clients.
• Integrate with Twilio and Dialogflow for conversational AI features.
• Model Firestore data for performance and cost efficiency.
• Ensure observability with logging, metrics, tracing, and alerting.
• Deliver production-grade code with comprehensive tests.

Skills

Kotlin

GraphQL

Twilio

Dialogflow

Firestore

Observability

Testing

Code reviews

React/TypeScript

Google Cloud Platform

Tools

GitHub

Slack

Job description

About Slang AI

Slang AI is redefining customer engagement through conversational AI, making every interaction seamless and efficient. Our mission is to transform the restaurant industry by providing the ultimate voice AI solution for consistently outstanding customer experiences.

At Slang AI, we believe how we build matters just as much as what we build. We foster a culture rooted in hospitality, ownership, and clarity, where every “Slangsta” feels valued, supported, and connected to the broader impact of our work in the AI-powered future of restaurants.

What Your Experience Will Be

You’ll join Slang's Engineering team as a Software Engineer, contributing across our core product areas including telephony infrastructure, AI-powered conversation features, and application functionality. Your work will help restaurants automate customer interactions and improve service through natural conversation. You’ll spend roughly 90% of your time developing backend services in Kotlin, with occasional contributions to React/TypeScript frontend features as needed. Your work will directly impact thousands of restaurant interactions daily, helping businesses streamline operations and deliver better customer experiences.

You’ll report to the Engineering Manager, collaborating closely with product managers, conversation designers, and fellow engineers. The role requires attendance at key ceremonies including daily standups at 1:00 PM ET, bi-weekly cycle planning, and weekly Show & Tell sessions. As a software engineer, you’ll use modern collaboration tools like Slack, GitHub, and video conferencing to stay connected with the team. Once ramped up, you’ll have opportunities to mentor junior and other mid-level engineers through code reviews and pair programming sessions.

Why You Belong Here and How You Will Grow

Our engineering culture emphasizes pragmatic solutions, continuous learning, and collaborative problem-solving. We believe in domain-driven design, comprehensive testing, and building systems that gracefully handle the complexities of real‑world restaurant operations. You’ll work alongside engineers who are passionate about creating reliable, scalable conversational experiences and who regularly share knowledge through Show & Tell sessions and detailed technical documentation.

As a software engineer, you’ll gain exposure to cutting‑edge conversational AI technologies, telephony systems at scale, and modern cloud-native architectures. You’ll deepen your expertise in Kotlin and functional programming while working with production systems handling real‑time voice interactions. The cross‑functional nature of the role will accelerate your growth toward senior engineering roles. You’ll learn from experienced engineers while contributing your own perspectives to architectural decisions and technical standards.

What Success Looks Like

• Design and implement scalable Kotlin backend services following domain-driven design principles, with comprehensive error handling and testing
• Develop and maintain GraphQL APIs that efficiently serve both internal and external clients
• Create robust integrations with Twilio telephony services and Dialogflow conversational AI, handling edge cases and failure scenarios gracefully
• Design efficient Firestore data models that balance performance, cost, and maintainability
• Implement comprehensive observability including logging, metrics, tracing, and actionable alerting
• Deliver production‑ready code with appropriate test coverage (unit, integration, and end‑to‑end tests)
• Participate actively in code reviews, providing constructive feedback and incorporating suggestions
• Document technical decisions, API contracts, and system architecture clearly
• Deploy containerized applications to Google Cloud Platform following cloud‑native best practices
• Occasionally build or update React/TypeScript frontend components that provide intuitive interfaces for restaurant staff and customers
• Collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams to