Engineer - Backend

Midwest Startups; Lehi (UT); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

401(k) match

Parental Leave

Unlimited Time Off

Job summary

Opiniion is a resident experience platform seeking a Staff Backend Engineer to elevate backend systems across current and next-generation architectures. You will lead with technical judgment, mentor engineers, and partner with architects to drive scalable, reliable services.

You will shape data flows, APIs, and deployment patterns while integrating AI capabilities into production.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of backend software development experience, with staff-level scope.
• Proven track record designing and shipping scalable backend systems in SaaS or similar environments.
• Experience with API design across REST, GraphQL, and gRPC.
• Experience deploying and operating cloud-based, containerized services.
• Experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into production systems.

Responsibilities

• Write high-quality backend code for production systems.
• Govern backend architecture standards and service boundaries.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews and guidance.
• Design and ship services, APIs, and data flows for current and next-gen platforms.
• Contribute to AI-capable backend systems for LLM or agentic features.
• Identify and resolve performance, scalability, and reliability issues.

Skills

Staff-level leadership

Backend system design

APIs (REST/GraphQL/gRPC)

AI/LLM integration

Mentoring & code reviews

Performance & reliability

Cloud & containers

Distributed systems

Tools

REST APIs

GraphQL

gRPC

Docker/Kubernetes

Job description

Opiniion is a resident experience tool that partners with property management to create better living experiences for their residents. Our platform has helped thousands of property managers collect and act on real-time feedback, improve resident experiences, and enhance their online reputation. Opiniion is committed to exceptional service and innovation, earning recognition as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. Driven by a forward-thinking team, we’re shaping the future of resident engagement. Our continued growth and commitment to innovation make this an exciting time to be part of our team!

Opiniion is a resident experience tool that partners with property management to create better living experiences for their residents. Our platform has helped thousands of property managers collect and act on real-time feedback, improve resident experiences, and enhance their online reputation. Opiniion is committed to exceptional service and innovation, earning recognition as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. Driven by a forward-thinking team, we’re shaping the future of resident engagement. Our continued growth and commitment to innovation make this an exciting time to be part of our team!

LOCATION: Lehi, UT — Hybrid (Monday–Wednesday in office)

EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-time

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Opiniion is building the next generation of its platform while continuing to evolve the systems that support customers today. The Staff Engineer, Backend role exists to raise the bar for backend engineering across both environments: writing production-grade code, mentoring engineers, and guiding the patterns and standards that keep services scalable, reliable, and maintainable.

This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role for someone who can lead through technical judgment and execution. You will partner closely with architecture and engineering leaders to shape backend systems, make pragmatic design decisions, and help the team move faster without compromising quality.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Write high-quality backend code for production systems that support performance, reliability, and long-term maintainability.
• Help govern backend architecture standards, patterns, and service boundaries in partnership with the Staff Software Architect.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, pairing, and thoughtful feedback.
• Design and ship services, APIs, and data flows that support both the current platform and the company’s next-generation architecture.
• Contribute to AI-capable backend systems, including the infrastructure and workflows needed to support LLM-based or agentic features in production.
• Identify and resolve performance, scalability, and reliability issues across backend services and supporting systems.
• Drive strong engineering practices in testing, observability, deployment, and operational readiness.
• Participate in technical design reviews and help teams make sound tradeoffs between speed, complexity, and maintainability.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, data, and platform partners to deliver backend solutions that support customer and business goals.
• Help improve the team’s technical execution by identifying recurring issues, reducing ambiguity, and reinforcing clear patterns for development.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 10+ years of backend software development experience, including meaningful time operating at a staff level or equivalent senior technical scope.
• Proven experience designing and shipping scalable backend systems in a SaaS or similarly complex product environment.
• Strong knowledge of backend architecture patterns such as service-oriented design, event-driven systems, and domain-driven design.
• Deep proficiency in at least one backend language such as Python, Java, Go, or a comparable technology.
• Experience designing and evolving APIs across REST, GraphQL, gRPC, or similar approaches.
• Hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure and modern deployment environments, including containerized systems.
• Experience integrating AI or LLM capabilities into production applications, not only prototypes or experiments.
• Strong understanding of data access patterns, performance optimization, and service-level reliability concerns.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and modern DevOps practices.
• Track record of mentoring engineers and improving technical quality across a team.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical tradeoffs to a range of audiences.
• A practical, high-ownership mindset and strong bias for action.

Preferred

• Experience working in high-growth SaaS environments or during significant platform evolution.
• Familiarity with vector databases, embeddings pipelines, model-serving infrastructure, or related AI platform components.
• Experience supporting systems with data privacy, compliance, or multi-region considerations.
• Background partnering closely with architects or peer senior engineers on platform-wide technical direction.

OPINIION’S CULTURE:

At Opiniion, we take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously! We work hard together, and we have a lot of fun doing it. We are a team that believes in real autonomy: you own your area, solve problems, and move fast enough to actually see the change you make. The people here are invested in each other just as much as they’re invested in the work, and that combination is what makes this place different. We believe in collaboration, innovation, and building a team that truly cares—about our clients, their residents, and each other.

BENEFITS SNAPSHOT:

• Comprehensive healthcare plans, encompassing medical, dental, and vision insurance, along with group life coverage. Opiniion covers 40-90% of the premium cost for employees and all dependents.
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 100% corporate match on the first 1% and 50% match on the next 5%.
• Pre-tax Health Savings Accounts (HSA).
• Paid Parental Leave for all new parents (including adoption or foster care).
• Unlimited Time Off policies.
• 10 Paid Holidays annually.
• Monthly Wellness Reimbursement benefit.
• Note that the above benefits are available only to full-time employees of Opiniion

Opiniion is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances.