Senior Backend Engineer (Security & Fleet Platform)

Recruiting From Scratch; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical Insurance

401(k) Matching

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Architect Motors is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer in Alameda, CA to own the backend platform from inception. You will design secure APIs, cloud infrastructure, and real-time IoT communication, working across hardware and software teams to ship production-ready services.

You will lead the design of authentication, encryption, and cryptographic onboarding, while building scalable, reliable backend systems in a fast-moving startup environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical engineering experience preferred.
• Strong fundamentals in backend engineering, distributed systems, or security engineering.
• Experience building production backend platforms from zero to one and ownership mindset.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build the Secure Fleet & Financing Management Platform from scratch.
• Design and develop scalable backend services supporting connected electric vehicles.
• Build secure REST APIs for mobile apps, merchant systems, and internal tools.
• Design authentication, authorization, encryption, and secure key management systems.
• Develop backend infrastructure integrating with embedded hardware and IoT devices.
• Build real-time communication systems using MQTT, WebSockets, and event-driven architectures.
• Collaborate with hardware and firmware teams to integrate cloud services with vehicles.
• Design scalable cloud infrastructure across AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Establish CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, monitoring, and observability.

Skills

Go

TypeScript

Backend Architecture

Security

Cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure)

IoT integration

Distributed systems

Ownership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

Docker

CI/CD

MQTT

WebSockets

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

Location - Alameda, CA (On-site) - Some flexibility (3 days/week) may be considered for exceptional local candidates.

Compensation - $170,000 -- $240,000 Base + Competitive Equity

Visa - US Citizens & Green Card Holders Only (No Visa Sponsorship)

Company Stage - Early Stage (Backed by Architect Holdings -- $200M+ Fund)

Industry - Electric Vehicles, Fleet Management, IoT, Embedded Systems, Security Infrastructure, FinTech, Mobility

About the Company

Architect Motors is building a next-generation secure fleet management and financing platform powering electric motorcycles across emerging markets.

The company combines connected vehicle infrastructure, secure cloud services, financing systems, and IoT technologies to enable intelligent fleet management while expanding financial access for underserved populations. By integrating physical hardware, cryptography, cloud infrastructure, and financial systems, Architect Motors is solving one of the most technically challenging problems in mobility technology.

Backed by Architect Holdings with over $200M in committed funding and an allocated operating budget exceeding $6M, the company combines startup autonomy with strong financial stability. The engineering team is building the platform entirely from scratch, giving engineers exceptional ownership over architecture, infrastructure, and long-term technical direction.

As the Senior Backend Engineer, you'll become the technical owner of the entire backend platform, designing secure APIs, authentication systems, cloud infrastructure, IoT communication layers, and fleet management services that connect directly with physical electric motorcycles operating in production.

This is an opportunity to build a security-first platform from zero to one while working across backend engineering, cloud infrastructure, applied cryptography, distributed systems, and connected hardware.

What You'll Do

• Architect and build the Secure Fleet & Financing Management Platform from scratch
• Design and develop scalable backend services supporting connected electric vehicles
• Build secure REST APIs supporting mobile applications, merchant systems, and internal tools
• Design authentication, authorization, encryption, and secure key management systems
• Develop backend infrastructure integrating with embedded hardware and IoT devices
• Build real-time communication systems using MQTT, WebSockets, and event-driven architectures
• Collaborate closely with embedded, electrical, and firmware engineers to integrate cloud services with physical vehicles
• Design scalable cloud infrastructure across AWS, GCP, or Azure
• Build CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, monitoring, logging, and observability systems
• Design relational and NoSQL database schemas supporting fleet operations and financing workflows
• Own backend architecture decisions, framework selection, and long-term platform strategy
• Implement secure device provisioning, hardware identity, and cryptographic onboarding workflows
• Establish engineering best practices for testing, scalability, reliability, and security
• Operate with founder-level ownership in a fast-moving startup environment

Ideal Candidate Background

Experience Requirements

• 5+ years of backend software engineering experience
• Experience building production backend platforms from zero to one
• Experience designing secure production systems
• Startup or early-stage engineering experience with significant ownership
• Experience building scalable cloud-native backend services
• Experience owning production systems throughout the full software lifecycle
• Experience designing APIs supporting web and mobile applications
• Experience collaborating across hardware and software engineering teams preferred
• Experience building real-time systems or distributed architectures
• Strong ownership mentality with demonstrated technical leadership

Technical Requirements

• Expert-level Go or TypeScript experience
• Strong backend systems design expertise
• Deep understanding of authentication, authorization, encryption, and applied cryptography
• Experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure
• Experience with Docker, containers, CI/CD, and cloud deployment
• Strong database architecture and data modeling experience (SQL and NoSQL)
• Experience with MQTT, WebSockets, messaging systems, or event-driven architectures
• Experience integrating cloud software with hardware or IoT devices
• Experience with secure device provisioning, hardware identity, or cryptographic key management
• Strong API architecture and backend service development experience
• Experience building highly reliable production systems

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical engineering experience preferred
• Strong computer science fundamentals
• Demonstrated expertise in backend engineering, distributed systems, or security engineering

Soft Skills

• Exceptional engineering ownership
• Strong systems thinking
• Excellent communication skills
• High execution velocity
• Comfortable working with ambiguity
• Security-first engineering mindset
• Strong collaboration across software and hardware teams
• Startup mentality with bias toward action
• Passion for solving complex infrastructure problems
• Interest in electric vehicles, IoT, or emerging markets

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $170,000 -- $240,000
• Competitive Equity Package
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Flexible PTO
• Opportunity to own an entire backend platform from inception
• Direct collaboration with founders and engineering leadership
• Build infrastructure connecting cloud software with real-world hardware
• Strong financial backing through Architect Holdings
• Opportunity to shape the future of secure fleet management technology

Why Join

This is a rare opportunity to become the founding backend engineering leader for a security-first connected vehicle platform.

You'll own everything from backend architecture and cloud infrastructure to cryptography, IoT integrations, and real-time communication systems while building software that directly controls physical electric motorcycles deployed in production.

If you enjoy designing secure distributed systems, building platforms from zero to one, solving challenging infrastructure problems, and working at the intersection of software, hardware, and mobility, this role offers exceptional ownership and technical impact.