Member of Technical Staff

kadence; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A data-driven technology company located in San Francisco is seeking an experienced backend engineer to own and evolve systems that support machine learning capabilities. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of backend engineering experience and proficiency in Python, alongside experience with modern cloud infrastructure, containers, and data storage systems. This in-person role requires collaboration with users to enhance system functionalities and ensure reliability. Relocation support is available for those moving to the Bay Area.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend engineering experience with meaningful ownership.
• Experience on data-intensive or ML-powered systems in production.
• Familiarity with integrating model inference into applications.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve backend systems for machine learning capabilities.
• Develop infrastructure and tooling for rapid iteration.
• Design systems that connect ML inference and application services.
• Build and optimize data layers, including databases and APIs.
• Contribute to CI/CD workflows for fast, safe releases.

Skills

Backend engineering

System design

Python proficiency

Cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP)

Experience with Docker/Kubernetes

Tools

Postgres

Object storage

Caching layers

Job description

You’re a strong backend engineer who thrives in environments with high ownership and high expectations. You’ve built and maintained production systems that solve complex problems without unnecessary abstraction. You make practical architectural decisions, balance speed with long-term scalability, and know when to leverage existing tools versus building from scratch.

What You’ll Do

• Own and evolve the backend systems that power the company’s machine learning capabilities across both training and production environments
• Develop infrastructure and observability tooling that enables rapid iteration, evaluation, and continuous improvement of ML-driven features
• Shape architectural direction for core services, enabling fast product development while maintaining reliability and performance
• Design and implement systems that connect ML inference, monitoring, LLM integrations, application services, and domain-specific business logic
• Build and optimize data layers, including application databases and integrations with third-party vendor APIs
• Contribute to CI/CD workflows and deployment infrastructure to support fast, safe releases
• Work directly with end users to understand workflow pain points and translate them into thoughtful technical solutions
• Operate independently, making sound technical tradeoffs within both product and market constraints

What They’re Looking For

• 5+ years of backend engineering experience with meaningful ownership over system design and long-term technical decisions
• Experience working on data-intensive or ML-powered systems in production
• Familiarity with integrating model inference and monitoring into real-world applications
• Proficiency in Python and experience with modern cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP), containers (Docker, Kubernetes, or serverless platforms), and data storage systems such as Postgres, object storage, and caching layers
• This is an in-person role based in downtown San Francisco, five days per week. Relocation support is available for candidates moving to the Bay Area.