Senior Backend Engineer - Spark team

Readdle; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Readdle is hiring a Senior Backend Engineer to own features end to end, from design and decomposition to production delivery. You’ll architect robust Go services within a distributed system, scaling databases, syncing data across devices, and integrating with external services.

AI-assisted development accelerates work across the stack. You’ll start with backend work and gradually contribute to client-side code as you become familiar with the product, collaborating with multiple teams to ship

Qualifications

• Solid Go experience with hands-on coding.
• Experience building large features with ownership from idea to production.
• Strong knowledge of database optimization and working with large tables.

Responsibilities

• Own features end to end: design, decompose, estimate, coordinate with teammates, and ship to production.
• Build and evolve Go services that handle sync, integrations, and data processing at scale.
• Optimise queries and data access on large MySQL tables, and design async processing flows.
• Keep the system healthy: investigate alerts, dig into logs in Kibana, metrics in Grafana, and pods in Kubernetes.
• Test your changes before they reach users, and review code in backend repositories.
• Contribute to frontend parts of features when needed across desktop and iOS clients using AI agents.

Skills

Go

Distributed systems

Kubernetes

Backend design

Database optimization

AI tooling

Frontend curiosity

Education

Computer science degree

Tools

Go tooling

MySQL

Kubernetes

Grafana

Kibana

Job description

Readdle is a pioneering force in the personal productivity space on Apple devices, having shaped the landscape since 2007. Our mission is to empower individuals and teams with innovative technology, enhancing their efficiency and creativity. We are dedicated to crafting exceptional mobile and desktop experiences for those who aspire to achieve more.

Spark is a cross-platform email client, available on iOS, macOS, Android and Windows. Our mission has always been to help people fall in love with the email again, filter out the noise, and focus on what’s important. Some of our most loyal users have been with us almost since day one. More than 19 million users have downloaded Spark and turned their emails from a constant distraction into a clear, manageable workflow.

Recognized with Apple’s Editor’s Choice in 2015 and the Golden Kitty Award for Productivity on Product Hunt in 2022.

About the role:

As a Senior Backend Engineer, you’ll own features end to end, from design and decomposition to delivery in production. You’ll architect robust Go services within a distributed system: scaling databases, syncing data across devices, building integrations with other services (e.g., calendars), and optimising the performance of critical components. AI-assisted development is now a natural part of our workflow, giving you the reach to work across many parts of the product.

What you’ll do:

• Own features end to end: design, decompose, estimate, coordinate with teammates, and ship to production
• Build and evolve Go services that handle sync, integrations, and data processing at scale
• Optimise queries and data access on large MySQL tables, and design async processing flows
• Keep the system healthy: investigate alerts, dig into logs in Kibana, metrics in Grafana, and pods in Kubernetes
• Test your own changes before they reach users, and review code in backend repositories
• Contribute to the frontend parts of your features (desktop and iOS clients), using AI agents to work efficiently across the stack
• You’ll start with backend only and gradually take on client-side work as you get to know the product

About you:

• Solid Go experience with strong hands‑on coding
• Experience building large features with full ownership, from idea to production
• Strong knowledge of database optimisation (indexing, query tuning, working with large tables)
• Experience with async processing and distributed systems: queues, retries, failure handling, consistency
• Practical Kubernetes experience: deploying, debugging, investigating issues
• Confidence using AI coding tools, and the judgment to review and verify what they produce
• Some experience with any frontend technology, and readiness to contribute to client‑side code when a feature requires it

What you will get at Readdle:

• Customer‑centric culture. We put our users at the heart of everything we do. Every team member has the opportunity to engage directly with customers, gaining insights that shape meaningful, delightful experiences for millions worldwide.
• Relentless growth. We’re committed to mastery in our craft. We take ownership of our work, decisions, and outcomes, and we see feedback as a catalyst for growth. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn, evolve, and raise the bar.
• Exceptional people, exceptional team. Our greatest strength is our people. We care deeply about each other, work transparently, and celebrate collective success. Together, we build an environment where everyone can do their best work and grow beyond their potential.
• Real impact. We design products that truly matter. Our focus is on delivering tangible value, simplifying complexity, pushing boundaries, and continuously improving how we build and deliver solutions to our users.
• Culture of innovation. We embrace curiosity and creativity in everything we do. Fresh ideas are not just welcomed, they’re expected, celebrated, and turned into real innovations that shape the future of our products and company.