Senior Backend Engineer

Vay; Las Vegas (NV); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Flexible paid vacation days

401(k) plan

Health, dental & vision insurance

30% off Vay rides

Wellness hub & gym access

Exclusive external discounts

Relocation assistance to Las Vegas

Regular team events

Job summary

Vay, a Las Vegas-based mobility company, is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to design and maintain scalable backend systems. You will own end-to-end technical solutions, shaping architecture and collaborating with infra, embedded software, mobile, and product teams to deliver reliable services used by real customers.

You’ll work on complex distributed systems, focusing on reliability, performance, and real-world impact, with Go at the core and exposure to cloud-native patterns and data

Qualifications

• Strong backend engineering experience in production.
• Experience designing scalable distributed systems.
• Ability to make pragmatic engineering decisions under ambiguity.
• End-to-end ownership from design to production.
• Strong fundamentals in data modeling, testing and performance.

Responsibilities

• Design & Develop scalable backend systems in Go to support Vay's growing fleet and customer operations.
• Own end-to-end technical solutions from problem understanding to deployment and iterative improvement.
• Shape architectural decisions and establish practices for reliable, scalable platforms.
• Tackle cross-functional challenges with infra, embedded services, mobile and product teams to align tech and user experience.
• Ensure code quality, testing, and operational reliability across systems.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

Technical judgement

End-to-end ownership

Engineering fundamentals

Collaborative mindset

Go/JVM/Python

Cloud infra

Tools

Node.js

gRPC

AWS

Terraform

NoSQL databases

Job description

Ever imagined saying, \"I helped launch the future of transportation\"?

We're rewriting the rules of urban mobility. At Vay, customers tap a button and a car arrives - with no one inside - powered by our world-first Remote Driving technology on real public streets.

We're live in Las Vegas and scaling fast, powered by a strategic investment of up to $410 million from Grab. Our mission is simple: replace private car ownership with a faster, cleaner, door-to-door mobility model. If you want to build something real, visible, and genuinely transformative, you'll feel right at home here.

What's happening at Vay

• First to roll out vehicles in both Europe and the USA on public roads without a human being inside & currently the 2nd largest commercial, driverless car fleet in the Western World.
• We've partnered with Kodiak to bring remote-driving technology to autonomous trucks in the US, showcasing our ability to integrate our system into heavy-duty commercial vehicles and expand the applications of our tech across the US.
• We've completed over 150,000 trips so far and are busy multiplying our Las Vegas fleet just to meet demand!
• ...And soon we'll be expanding across the US & Europe

Why this role is exciting

At Vay, backend engineering goes far beyond building APIs. We're developing the systems that coordinate vehicles, remote drivers and customers in real time, powering everything from intelligent dispatch and fleet operations to the customer experience.

You’ll tackle complex distributed systems challenges where reliability, scalability and real-world impact aren’t just engineering principles, they’re fundamental to making our service work.

As a Senior Backend Engineer, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the architecture behind a growing mobility platform, take ownership of meaningful technical challenges and see the direct impact of your work on a service operating in the real world.

If you thrive on solving complex problems and want to push the boundaries of what's possible in mobility, we'd love to have you on board.

What you’ll be driving

• Design & Develop: Build and maintain scalable backend systems that support Vay's growing fleet, customer experience and operational infrastructure, using Go and modern cloud‑native technologies.
• Own End-to-End Solutions: Take ownership of technical solutions from understanding the underlying problem and defining the approach through to implementation, deployment and continuous improvement.
• Shape Technical Architecture: Influence architectural decisions, evaluate technical trade-offs and help establish engineering practices that enable our platform to scale reliably.
• Solve Complex Engineering Challenges: Work at the intersection of software, physical vehicles and operational systems, building reliable solutions to problems that go beyond conventional backend development.
• Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with engineers across infrastructure, embedded software, mobile and product to design solutions that connect our technology and deliver a seamless customer experience.
• Own Quality & Reliability: Build maintainable, well‑tested systems, continuously improving performance, reliability and the way we develop and operate our software.

This might be a great fit, if

• Strong Backend Engineering Experience: You've designed, built and operated complex backend systems in production and can confidently explain the architectural decisions, trade-offs and technical challenges involved.
• Distributed Systems Expertise: You have practical experience designing scalable, reliable distributed systems and know how to balance performance, complexity and maintainability.
• Sound Technical Judgement: You're comfortable navigating ambiguity, evaluating different approaches and making pragmatic engineering decisions rather than defaulting to familiar technologies or patterns.
• End-to-End Ownership: You enjoy understanding the underlying problem, challenging assumptions and taking responsibility for solutions from initial design through to production.
• Strong Engineering Fundamentals: You understand how to make thoughtful decisions around system design, data modelling, testing and performance, with a focus on building maintainable, high‑quality software.
• Collaborative Mindset: You can explain complex technical concepts, constructively challenge ideas and work closely with engineers and stakeholders across different disciplines.
• Technical Proficiency: You have strong experience with at least one modern backend programming language, such as Go, Java or Python, alongside familiarity with cloud infrastructure, relational databases and event‑driven architectures.
• Real-World Impact: You’re motivated by solving technically challenging problems and excited to see how your work directly influences a product used by real customers.

Nice to Have

• Industry Experience: Background in Mobility, Logistics, or similar domains.
• Mobile-First Products: Experience working on products with a strong mobile integration.
• Additional Tech Stack: Familiarity with Node.js, gRPC, AWS, Terraform, or NoSQL databases.
• Low-Level Programming: Proficiency with C/C++ for performance-critical components.

Our technology

Our backend is primarily built in Go, supported by cloud-native infrastructure, relational databases and event-driven architectures. Experience with Go is valuable, but we're equally interested in engineers with strong backend fundamentals and experience in languages such as Java or Python. We're looking for engineers who understand how to design great systems, not simply those who have worked with a particular set of technologies.

Why choose Vay

• A global team of smart, motivated people from 30+ countries who love tackling hard problems and turning bold ideas into reality.
• Huge scope for impact in a fast paced environment
• Stock options: A stake in Vay's future – not just a salary.
• FlexiblePaid Vacation Days
• 401(k) programme
• Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
• All Vay team members receive 30% off their Vay rides
• Wellness Hub free gym access & wellness app subscriptions
• Exclusive external discounts
• Relocation financial assistance when relocating to Las Vegas
• Regular team events throughout the year

For more information on Vay's physical demands, working environments and safety requirements, you can review this link. We'll also cover anything specific to this role during the first interview.

We'd love to stay connected for future opportunities, so feel free to include your LinkedIn profile when you apply.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and experiences. If you're excited about shaping something truly groundbreaking, we'd be happy to hear from you.

Curious to experience Vay yourself? In Las Vegas? Use the code VAYCANDIDATE for $10 off your first trip in Las Vegas! Download the Vay app from the Apple or Google Play store & off you go!