Senior Backend Architect, Knowledge Platform & Marketplace

Perplexity; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Perplexity in Seattle seeks engineers to build and operate a unified runtime for connectors, MCP servers, and CLI-backed tools, plus a semantic knowledge layer that preserves provenance and source-system permissions. You will develop tool discovery and marketplace experiences, ensure reliable and secure execution, and establish onboarding and publishing foundations for internal teams and external partners.

You will lead cross-team initiatives in security-sensitive distributed systems while

Qualifications

• Requires at least four years of software engineering experience.
• Experience owning complex backend systems in production.
• Strong system design skills.
• Proficiency in Python, Go, or Rust and cloud infra such as AWS and Kubernetes.
• Expertise in connector runtimes, semantic knowledge systems, search and recommendation, or developer marketplaces.
• Ability to lead cross-team initiatives in security-sensitive distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate a unified runtime for connectors, MCP servers, and CLI-backed tools.
• Develop tool discovery and marketplace experiences.
• Ensure reliable and secure execution across systems.
• Create onboarding and publishing foundations for internal teams and external partners.

Skills

Backend system design

Production ownership

Cross-team leadership

Security-mindedness

Distributed systems knowledge

Tools

Python

Go

Rust

AWS

Kubernetes

Connector runtimes

API Platforms

MCP Servers

Authentication And Authorization

Schema Design

Semantic Modeling

Search And Recommendation Systems

Marketplace Platforms

Distributed Systems

Security And Permission Enforcement

Job description

Perplexity in Seattle seeks engineers to build and operate a unified runtime for connectors, MCP servers, and CLI-backed tools, plus a semantic knowledge layer that preserves provenance and source-system permissions. You will develop tool discovery and marketplace experiences, ensure reliable and secure execution, and establish onboarding and publishing foundations for internal teams and external partners.

You will lead cross-team initiatives in security-sensitive distributed systems while