Founding Backend Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups (Senior/Staff)

SignalFire; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking passionate Backend Engineers eager to join high-growth startups as founding team members. This opportunity allows you to connect with early-stage companies shaping the future of technology. You'll design and maintain scalable backend systems, develop APIs and microservices, and collaborate with founders to define technical strategies. If you're excited about working directly with startups and making a significant impact, this is the perfect chance to showcase your skills in a dynamic environment. Join the talent network to gain visibility into exclusive opportunities that may not be publicly listed.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in backend engineering with a track record of shipping systems.
• Expertise in backend frameworks and strong understanding of databases.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend systems.
• Develop high-performance APIs and optimize databases.

Skills

Backend architecture

Scalable distributed systems

API development

Microservices

Cloud infrastructure

Database optimization

Technical strategy alignment

Software development best practices

Tools

Node.js

Django

Flask

Ruby on Rails

FastAPI

Spring Boot

PostgreSQL

MySQL

MongoDB

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Jenkins

GitHub Actions

Job description

Join SignalFire’s Talent Network for Founding Back-end Software Engineer Roles at VC-Backed Startups

At SignalFire, we partner with top early-stage startups that are shaping the future of technology. Our portfolio spans 200+ innovative companies across AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech, developer tools, and enterprise SaaS.

We’re looking to connect with exceptional Backend Engineers who are excited about joining high-growth startups as founding team members. By joining SignalFire’s Talent Network, your profile will be shared with our portfolio companies, giving you visibility into exclusive early-stage opportunities that may not be publicly listed.

This is not an application for a specific job. Instead, this is a way to get on the radar of VC-backed startups that are actively hiring AI/ML talent. If you have any questions, please direct inquiries to [e-mail].

Who Should Join?

We’re looking for engineers who are:

• Passionate about backend architecture and scalable distributed systems
• Excited about joining early-stage startups and working directly with founders
• Interested in building APIs, microservices, and cloud infrastructure

Typical Roles & Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain backend systems with a focus on scalability and performance

• Develop high-performance APIs, microservices, and cloud-based architectures

• Optimize databases and data pipelines for reliability and efficiency

• Collaborate with founders to define technical strategy and align it with business goals

• Ensure backend infrastructure is secure, fault-tolerant, and cost-efficient

• Establish best practices for software development, DevOps, and infrastructure management

Common Qualifications

While each startup has its own hiring criteria, many founding backend engineering roles in our network look for:

• 3+ years of experience as a backend engineer, with a proven track record of shipping production systems

• Expertise in backend frameworks (Node.js, Django, Flask, Ruby on Rails, FastAPI, Spring Boot)

• Strong understanding of databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis) and data modeling

• Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes)

• Proficiency in backend programming languages such as Python, Go, Java, Node.js, or Ruby

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code tools

• Experience in early-stage startups or lean teams is a plus

Technologies You Might Work With:

• Languages & Frameworks: Python, Golang, Java, JavaScript (Node.js), Ruby, Django, Flask, FastAPI, Ruby on Rails, Spring Boot

• Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis

• Cloud & DevOps: AWS (Lambda, EC2, S3, RDS), GCP (Cloud Run, Firestore), Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub Actions

• Other Tools: REST APIs, GraphQL, WebSockets, Kafka, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch

What Happens Next?

1. Submit your application to join SignalFire’s Talent Ecosystem.

2. We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.

3. If there’s a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.

4. No match yet? We’ll keep your profile on file for future backend engineering roles in our portfolio.