Platform Backend Engineer

Sight Machine, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary + Stock Options

Health Care Coverage + Life Insurance

Flexible Vacation Policy

Hybrid work flexibility

Catered Lunches, Snacks and Beverages

Commuter Savings Program

Company Outings

Designated Volunteering Hours + Group Volunteer Events

Job summary

A technology company in San Francisco is seeking a Platform Backend Engineer to work on core systems ingesting factory data for real-time AI insights. The role involves building ETL pipelines, backend services for dashboards, and collaborating with engineers at client sites. Ideal candidates have a strong portfolio, 2+ years of relevant experience, and proficiency in Python, with opportunities for growth and mentorship. The position offers hybrid work flexibility and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong portfolio including side projects or open-source contributions.
• Experience with both Python and at least one other high-level programming language.

Responsibilities

• Build and optimize ETL pipelines for streaming sensor data.
• Design and maintain backend services for real-time dashboards.
• Work on automation and alerting layers using AI.

Skills

Python

AI development tools

Data structures and algorithms

Unix/Linux environments

Relational databases

NoSQL databases

Clear communication

Job description

Benefits

• Competitive Salary + Stock Options
• Health Care Coverage + Life Insurance + Health Savings Account + Flexible Spending Account (includes spouse + children)
• Flexible Vacation Policy
• Adaptable Working Schedule and Environment
• Casual Dress Attire
• Hybrid work flexibility
• Catered Lunches, Snacks and Beverages
• Commuter Savings Program
• Company Outings
• Designated Volunteering Hours + Group Volunteer Events

About the Role

As a Platform Backend Engineer, you’ll work on the core systems that ingest, model, and serve factory data, building and maintaining the infrastructure that powers real‑time AI insights at industrial scale. You’ll write code that runs in production and ships fast.

The position is open to candidates who already have a strong portfolio and proven ability to ship code; experience of five years is not required. The role is ideal for someone early in their career who has already built and deployed software.

What You’ll Actually Work On

• Building and optimizing ETL pipelines that ingest streaming sensor data from factory equipment at high volume and low latency.
• Designing and maintaining backend services that power real‑time dashboards and AI model outputs used by plant operators and manufacturing executives.
• Contributing to the automation and alerting layer of the platform, using AI tools to help detect issues before clients do.
• Working on data modeling problems at the intersection of operational technology (OT) and modern data infrastructure, translating messy, heterogeneous factory data into a clean, queryable model.
• Collaborating with forward‑deployed engineers embedded at client sites to understand real‑world constraints and bring those insights back into the platform.

What We’re Looking For

• A portfolio you’re proud of: side projects, open‑source contributions, AI‑powered tools you built.
• Real fluency with AI development tools such as agentic workflows, LLM‑assisted pipelines, or tools built on top of AI APIs.
• 2+ years of professional software engineering experience, or less if your work speaks for itself.
• Python as your primary language, with solid working knowledge of at least one other high‑level language.
• Strong foundations in data structures and algorithms, with exposure to distributed systems.
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (MongoDB and PostgreSQL preferred).
• Comfort with Unix/Linux environments.
• Experience shipping code in a mature codebase and navigating inherited architecture without breaking existing functionality.
• Clear, direct communication.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Azure Cloud.
• Exposure to ETL or large‑scale data ingestion.
• Familiarity with statistical technologies such as R.
• Any exposure to Industrial IoT, manufacturing systems, or OT environments.
• An active GitHub profile that tells a story about what you care about building.

Growth & Mentorship

We’re building a team that takes craft seriously. You’ll work alongside engineers who push back in code reviews, pair on hard problems, and genuinely invest in your growth. You’ll have access to mentorship, code reviews, and the opportunity to shape the platform.

Engineers who ship, learn fast, and bring energy move quickly here. If you have a sense of where you want to be in two years, we want to help you get there.

Sight Machine is committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We consider candidates regardless of age, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.