Senior Backend Engineer: Distributed Systems & AI

Kargo; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Kargo is modernizing its Workflow Platform. As a Senior Engineer, you will design and build distributed services, own projects end-to-end, and collaborate with product, data, and engineering teams to ship reliable, observable systems.

Proficiency in TypeScript or Golang and experience with microservices, CI/CD, and cloud infrastructure are valued. This role offers broad impact across AdTech tooling and data-driven decision making.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of software engineering experience in distributed or high-scale backend systems.
• Strong proficiency in TypeScript and/or Golang.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems concepts: consistency, availability, fault tolerance, event-driven architecture, and service orchestration.
• Experience building and maintaining microservices in production at meaningful scale; async messaging (Kafka, Pub/Sub) or workflow engines a strong plus.
• Comfortable with CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure), and debugging production issues using monitoring and distributed tracing.
• Active user of AI coding tools (Cursor, Copilot, or equivalent) with real, demonstrated productivity gains.
• B.S. or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent practical experience; AdTech, programmatic, or real-time systems experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and build distributed services for the Workflow Platform modernization, thinking about failure modes, retry logic, and observability from the start
• Own significant projects end-to-end — from design through deployment and post-launch optimization — with minimal hand-holding
• Improve platform health through latency reductions, fault tolerance, and observability enhancements with measurable outcomes
• Use AI-assisted development tools fluently to ship faster, and actively share what's working with teammates
• Raise the quality bar through code reviews and design discussions, contributing well-reasoned opinions
• Partner with Product, Data, and cross-functional stakeholders, translating fluently between technical and non-technical
• Mentor less experienced engineers through pairing, documentation, and patient, constructive guidance

Skills

TypeScript

Golang

Distributed systems

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Cloud infrastructure

AI coding tools

Education

BS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Kafka

Pub/Sub

Cursor

Copilot

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

Kargo is modernizing its Workflow Platform. As a Senior Engineer, you will design and build distributed services, own projects end-to-end, and collaborate with product, data, and engineering teams to ship reliable, observable systems.

Proficiency in TypeScript or Golang and experience with microservices, CI/CD, and cloud infrastructure are valued. This role offers broad impact across AdTech tooling and data-driven decision making.