Backend Engineer

LYA Collective; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous equity participation

Massive ownership

Competitive salary

Job summary

LYA Collective is seeking a Backend Engineer to join a small, highly technical team building the infrastructure behind hundreds of real-life social experiences each month. The on-site role in New York requires 1+ years of backend work and a passion for deeply technical, scalable systems.

You will design data models, APIs, and contribute to performance improvements while collaborating with a fast-moving team on end-to-end product development.

Qualifications

• 1+ years of backend experience; core systems/infra exposure is a plus.
• Experience with Python (FastAPI) and PostgreSQL; Java acceptable as alternate.
• BS degree in Computer Science or related field.

Responsibilities

• Build the backend for a concierge/experiences platform.
• Design data models and APIs for a self-hosted events tool.
• Set up backend infrastructure for data collection and matching models.
• Improve internal automations and payment flows (e.g., Stripe migrations).
• Make architectural decisions to scale the stack.

Skills

FastAPI

Python

Java

PostgreSQL

Education

BS in Computer Science

Tools

Stripe

Job description

About The Opportunity

A company I'm partnering with is looking for a Backend Engineer opportunity with a small, highly technical engineering team building the infrastructure behind hundreds of real-life social experiences each month. They’re looking for someone with 1+ years of experience who is exceptionally sharp, enjoys deeply technical work, and can thrive in a fast-paced environment while helping build and scale systems from the ground up. This is a full-time on-site position in NY.

Job Responsibilities

• Building the backend for a new concierge product — scraping, caching, and parsing real-world data (restaurants, events, shows) to match members' tastes end-to-end.
• Designing data models and APIs for a self-hosted party/event tool so members can reconnect and host within their communities.
• Setting up backend infrastructure for voice and video data collection to improve matching models
• Improving internal automations and tooling (e.g., Stripe migrations, subscription/payment flows).
• Making architecture and infrastructure decisions to keep the stack performant and intuitive as the product scales.

Job Qualifications

• Experience on a core systems, core transactions, or core infrastructure team at a prominent tech company.
• Backend engineering experience in Python (FastAPI, Postgres) or Java.
• Exceptional mental sharpness.
• 1+ years of experience as a backend engineer.
• 0 to 1 project ownership with demonstrated business impact.
• Experience as a founding or early engineer taking a tech stack from inception through maturity.
• BS degree in Computer Science or a related field.

Nice To Have Skills

• Experience or interest in compilers, low- level core systems, or complex technical side projects.
• CS degree from a top- 30 CS program in the US.

Job Benefits

• Highly competitive salary.
• Generous equity partcipation.
• Massive ownership.

RIGHT TO REPRESENT

By applying to this position, you acknowledge and agree to be represented by LYA Collective for this opportunity.

Skills: fastapi,javascript,python,postgresql