Senior Backend Engineer

cal alumni student association; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Casa is seeking a founding Senior Backend Engineer to design, develop, and ship robust backend systems that deliver exceptional value to our members. You’ll work closely with founders, engineers, and designers to build core systems and define our founding engineering culture.

You’ll lead architecture, design APIs for our client interfaces, and optimize performance while staying ahead of backend and cloud trends. An in-person, collaborative startup home for builders.

Qualifications

• You’re passionate about building robust systems.
• You’re excited to be a founding engineer at an early-stage startup.
• You’re excited to build.
• You think and act like an owner.
• You roll up your sleeves.
• You’re mission-driven and adaptable.
• You thrive on collaboration and problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and development of our backend systems, ensuring they are scalable, secure, and reliable.
• Design and implement APIs that power our iOS applications and other client interfaces.
• Optimize performance and scalability of our services to handle a growing number of members and data.
• Stay current with the latest advancements in backend technologies and cloud infrastructure, and integrate new technologies and methodologies as appropriate.
• Level up a growing engineering team by reviewing code and designs of teammates and providing constructive feedback to maintain high quality.

Skills

Backend architecture

API design

System scalability

Cloud infrastructure

Team leadership

Code review

Collaboration

Job description

About Casa

We believe owning a home should feel as special as the moments that take place within them. If our mission inspires you, we'd love to hear from you.

About the role

We’re hiring a founding Senior Backend Engineer to help us design, develop, and ship robust backend systems that deliver exceptional value to our members.

You’ll work closely with our founders, fellow engineers, and designers to create thoughtful and groundbreaking products that deliver exceptional value to our members. You’ll help build our core systems and product and define much of our founding team culture.

Some of the responsibilities you’ll have

• Lead the architecture and development of our backend systems, ensuring they are scalable, secure, and reliable

• Design and implement APIs that power our iOS applications and other client interfaces

• Optimize performance and scalability of our services to handle a growing number of members and data

• Stay current with the latest advancements in backend technologies and cloud infrastructure, and integrate new technologies and methodologies as appropriate

• Level up a growing engineering team by reviewing code and designs of teammates and providing constructive feedback to maintain high quality

About you

• You’re passionate about building robust systems. You have a deep understanding of backend architecture, API design, and database management, and you’re excited to build systems that scale with our growing member base

• You’re excited to be a founding engineer at an early-stage startup. This means that there’s a lot of systems and structure yet to be put in place, and you’ll play an active role in building and shaping those alongside our company culture

• You’re excited to build. You embrace the challenges and growth that come with joining an early-stage company, thriving in a fast-moving, evolving environment

• You think and act like an owner. You take a long‑term view, make decisions with care, and are eager to take initiative and responsibility with good judgment

• You roll up your sleeves. You find satisfaction in taking action, solving problems, and learning quickly, rather than delegating or managing from the sidelines

• You’re mission‑driven and adaptable. You understand the stakes of a startup, focus on what matters most, and dedicate yourself to building for long‑term success

• You thrive on collaboration and problem‑solving. You work best in an in‑person culture, feeding off shared energy, brainstorming, and engaging with others daily