Senior Backend Software Engineer

S&P Global; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

Unlimited Paid Time Off

401(k) plan with 6% employer matching

$20,000 tuition assistance

Plentiful snacks and catered lunches

Dog-friendly office

Compassion leave

Job summary

A leading financial services company is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer for their team in Cambridge, MA. The role focuses on developing reliable APIs that integrate AI capabilities into customer workflows. Ideal candidates will have over five years of experience in API development and sound knowledge of software lifecycle management. The position offers flexibility with remote work and a competitive salary between $150,000 and $225,000, along with comprehensive benefits including unlimited PTO and tuition assistance.

Qualifications

• At least five years of direct experience developing customer-facing APIs within a team.
• Thoughtful and efficient communication skills (both verbal and written).
• Experience developing RESTful APIs using various tools.
• Experience turning abstract business requirements into concrete technical plans.
• Sound reasoning about the behavior of loosely-coupled systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, document, deploy, maintain, and improve software.
• Manage individual project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables.
• Work with stakeholders to develop system architectures and API specifications.
• Test assumptions through instrumentation and prototyping.
• Promote ongoing technical development through code reviews.

Skills

API development

Communication skills

RESTful APIs

Software development lifecycle

Algorithms and data structures

Technical depth in at least one domain

Tools

Python

Flask

FastAPI

Django REST Framework

PostgreSQL

AWS

Job description

Kensho is S&P Global’s hub for AI innovation and transformation. With expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and data discovery, we develop and deploy novel solutions to innovate and drive progress at S&P Global and its customers worldwide.

At Kensho, we hire talented people and give them the autonomy and support needed to build amazing technology and products. We collaborate using our teammates’ diverse perspectives to solve hard problems. Our communication is open, honest, and efficient. We dedicate time and resources to explore new ideas, but always rooted in engineering best practices, enabling us to innovate rapidly and produce technology that is scalable, robust, and useful.

Kensho’s Applications group develops the web apps and APIs that deliver Kensho’s AI capabilities to our customers. Our teams are small, product‑focused, and intent on shipping high‑quality code that best leverages our efforts. We’re collegial, humble, and inquisitive, and we delight in learning from teammates with backgrounds, skills, and interests different from our own.

Emergence, our team within Applications, develops systems enabling the use of cutting‑edge ML technology in our customers’ workflows. Our focus is on building solutions that seamlessly connect S&P’s proprietary data with LLM‑based systems, empowering customers with reliable, innovative, and trustworthy experiences. This specific role is for a Senior Backend Engineer working on our PDF document processing platform, Extract.

As a Senior Backend Engineer on Emergence, you will develop reliable, secure, and performant APIs that apply Kensho’s AI capabilities to specific customer workflows. You will collaborate with colleagues from Product, Machine Learning, Infrastructure, and Design, as well as with other engineers within Applications. You have a demonstrated capacity for depth, are comfortable working with a broad range of technologies, and communicate proactively, efficiently, and inclusively with geographically‑distributed colleagues.

At Kensho, we believe in flexibility‑first and give our employees the opportunity to work from where they feel most productive and engaged (must be in the United States). We also value in‑person collaboration, so there may be times when travel to one of our Kensho hubs (e.g., Cambridge, MA or NYC) will be required for team meetings or company events.

Kensho states that the anticipated base salary range for the position is 150k–225k. In addition, this role is eligible for an annual incentive bonus and equity plans. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, test, document, deploy, maintain, and improve software
• Manage individual project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables
• Work with key stakeholders to develop system architectures, API specifications, implementation requirements, and complexity estimates
• Test assumptions through instrumentation and prototyping
• Promote ongoing technical development through code reviews, knowledge sharing, and mentorship

What You’ll Need

• At least five years of direct experience developing customer‑facing APIs within a team
• Thoughtful and efficient communication skills (both verbal and written)
• Experience developing RESTful APIs using a variety of tools
• Experience turning abstract business requirements into concrete technical plans
• Experience working across many stages of the software development lifecycle
• Sound reasoning about the behavior and performance of loosely‑coupled systems
• Proficiency with algorithms (including time and space complexity analysis), data structures, and software architecture
• At least one domain of demonstrable technical depth

Technologies & Tools We Use

• Development: Python, Flask, FastAPI, Django REST Framework, PostgreSQL, Celery, RabbitMQ, Redis, Kafka, Jsonnet, Agentic Coding Tools (Claude Code, Codex, Cline)
• Operations: AWS, Amazon EKS, Sentry, Prometheus, Git, Jenkins, GitHub Actions

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (100% company paid premiums)
• Unlimited Paid Time Off
• 26 weeks of 100% paid Parental Leave (paternity and maternity)
• 401(k) plan with 6% employer matching
• Generous company matching on donations to non‑profit charities
• Up to $20,000 tuition assistance toward degree programs, plus up to $4,000/year for ongoing professional education
• Plentiful snacks, drinks, and regularly catered lunches
• Dog‑friendly office (CAM office)
• Bike sharing program memberships
• Compassion leave and elder care leave
• Mentoring and additional learning opportunities
• Opportunity to expand professional network and participate in conferences and events

We are an equal‑opportunity employer that welcomes future Kenshins with all experiences and perspectives. Kensho is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with an additional office location in New York City. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.