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

SignalFire; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

SignalFire is seeking a Founding Backend Software Engineer to join high-growth startups in the tech industry. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in backend architecture, developing scalable distributed systems, and working directly with startup founders in a dynamic environment. This role offers a competitive salary range of $170,000 to $250,000, based on skills and experience.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience as a backend engineer.
• Proven track record of shipping production systems.
• Expertise in backend frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain backend systems with a focus on scalability and performance.
• Develop high-performance APIs and microservices.
• Collaborate with founders to define technical strategy.

Skills

Backend architecture

Scalable distributed systems

Building APIs

Microservices

Cloud infrastructure

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Node.js

Django

Flask

Ruby on Rails

AWS

Docker

Job description

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

Join to apply for the Founding Backend Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups (Senior/Staff) role at SignalFire

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

1 month ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Join to apply for the Founding Backend Software Engineer - VC Backed Startups (Senior/Staff) role at SignalFire

This range is provided by SignalFire. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$170,000.00/yr - $250,000.00/yr

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?

• Submit your application to join SignalFire’s Talent Ecosystem.
• We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.
• If there’s a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.
• No match yet? We’ll keep your profile on file for future backend engineering roles in our portfolio.
  
  

Compensation Range: $170K - $250K

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering and Information Technology

• Industries

  Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at SignalFire by 2x

Get notified about new Software Engineer jobs in San Francisco, CA.

San Francisco, CA $112,000.00-$160,000.00 1 day ago

Software Engineer, Deployment & Observability

San Francisco, CA $150,000.00-$250,000.00 20 hours ago

San Francisco, CA $120,000.00-$160,000.00 3 days ago

Frontend Software Engineer - University Graduate 2025

San Mateo, CA $120,000.00-$280,000.00 41 minutes ago

San Francisco, CA $150,000.00-$215,000.00 18 hours ago

San Francisco, CA $30,000.00-$220,000.00 1 day ago

San Francisco, CA $145,000.00-$225,000.00 1 day ago

San Francisco, CA $172,000.00-$203,000.00 5 days ago

Redwood City, CA $120,000.00-$190,000.00 5 days ago

San Francisco, CA $130,000.00-$180,000.00 6 days ago

San Francisco, CA $145,000.00-$225,000.00 1 day ago

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.