Senior Backend Engineer - BFF APIs & AI Tools

Panera LLC; St. Louis (MO); Hybrid; USD 127,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Panera Bread seeks a Sr. Software Engineer to design, develop, and optimize a scalable middleware layer (Backend-for-Frontend – BFF) supporting Web, Mobile, Kiosk, and digital channels. You will build secure, high-performance APIs using Node.js, TypeScript, and GraphQL, leveraging AI-enabled DLC to accelerate delivery and improve customer experience across Panera's digital platforms.

Location: St. Louis, MO (hybrid).

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience, backend or middleware (BFF).
• Strong Node.js, asynchronous programming, and TypeScript skills.
• Experience with GraphQL: schema design, resolvers, performance tuning.
• Experience designing lightweight, high-performance APIs and data aggregation layers.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled Developer Lifecycle Capabilities (AI code assistants, automated testing).
• API security best practices including OAuth2/JWT, encryption, threat mitigation.
• Experience with microservices and distributed systems.
• Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) and containers (Docker, Kubernetes).
• CI/CD pipelines with automation, speed and reliability.
• Observing/logging/metrics concepts and proactive issue resolution.

Responsibilities

• Build and optimize RESTful and GraphQL APIs focusing on performance and scalability.
• Leverage AI-powered development tools to accelerate cycles and improve productivity.
• Collaborate with frontend, backend, product, and digital teams on API contracts and data orchestration.
• Implement secure-by-design APIs with OAuth2, JWT, and gateways.
• Optimize middleware via caching, batching, and data aggregation patterns.
• Integrate with microservices and enterprise systems ensuring resiliency and fault tolerance.
• Drive CI/CD automation and DevOps practices, including AI-assisted testing and security scanning.
• Monitor system health using observability tools and resolve production issues.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote engineering excellence and AI practices.

Skills

Node.js

TypeScript

GraphQL

AI-enabled DLC

API security

Microservices

Cloud platforms

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

CI/CD Pipelines

Job description

Panera Bread seeks a Sr. Software Engineer to design, develop, and optimize a scalable middleware layer (Backend-for-Frontend – BFF) supporting Web, Mobile, Kiosk, and digital channels. You will build secure, high-performance APIs using Node.js, TypeScript, and GraphQL, leveraging AI-enabled DLC to accelerate delivery and improve customer experience across Panera's digital platforms.

Location: St. Louis, MO (hybrid).