Senior Backend Software Engineer

Cssmerge; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental & Vision

401(k)

Equity

Job summary

Cssmerge is seeking a Software Engineer to join the Otter Marketing/Boost team in Seattle. You will build the AI‑powered platform that automates restaurant growth across delivery platforms, turning budgets and goals into real orders.

You’ll own backend services end‑to‑end, focus on reliability and performance, and collaborate across teams to deliver scalable, high‑impact systems in production.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in a general‑purpose backend language (Java, Go, or Python).
• Strong foundation in distributed systems, microservices, and API design (gRPC and REST).
• Experience with databases (PostgreSQL, CockroachDB) and writing performant queries.
• Strong debugging skills and an instinct for reliability in systems that integrate with unpredictable third parties.
• Experience operating services in production with a collaborative, product‑minded approach.

Responsibilities

• Build backend services for campaign management, budgeting, and a multi‑channel pipeline.
• Develop the AI‑driven Boost engine that analyzes each store and optimizes marketing within budget.
• Build durable workflows for campaign orchestration, budget enforcement, and auto‑pause guardrails.
• Integrate with third‑party delivery platforms and handle partial failures, retries, and reconciliation.
• Own services end‑to‑end: develop, instrument, debug, and improve reliability and performance.

Skills

Backend languages

Distributed systems

Reliability mindset

Production experience

API design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

PostgreSQL

CockroachDB

REST/gRPC

Job description

Who we are

In the past, to be a successful restaurateur, you simply had to have a passion for food and a passion for people - but to succeed as a digital restaurateur you also need to have a passion for technology. We believe in the joy of serving others, and that's why we created Otter – to help restaurateurs succeed in online food delivery. Restaurants around the world, both large and small, including Chick‑fil‑A, Ben & Jerry’s, KFC, and Eataly trust our software to power their delivery business. We increase sales, reduce order issues, and decrease delivery headaches.

What you’ll do

As a Software Engineer on the Otter Marketing/Boost team, you’ll build the AI‑powered platform that puts restaurant growth on autopilot, automating marketing for each storefront across delivery platforms. Your code will turn a merchant’s budget and goals into real orders.

• Build backend services for campaign management, budgeting, and a multi‑channel pipeline that deploys campaigns and keeps them in sync across delivery platforms.
• Develop the AI‑driven Boost engine that analyzes each store, picks the best marketing for its goal, executes within budget, and recalibrates automatically.
• Build durable workflows for campaign orchestration, budget enforcement, and auto‑pause guardrails that run correctly, every day, at scale.
• Integrate with third‑party delivery platforms and handle the realities of external APIs: partial failures, retries, and reconciliation.
• Own your services end‑to‑end: develop, instrument, debug, and improve reliability and performance.

What we’re looking for

We value diversity of experience and are looking for engineers excited to own complex, high‑impact systems. We look for a strong sense of ownership, people ready to take their work from idea to production and take responsibility for outcomes.

Basic Qualifications

• Proficiency in a general‑purpose backend language (e.g., Java, Go, or Python).
• Solid foundation in distributed systems, microservices, and API design (gRPC and/or REST).
• Experience with databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, CockroachDB) and writing performant queries.
• Strong debugging skills and an instinct for reliability in systems that integrate with unpredictable third parties.
• Experience operating services in production, and a collaborative, product‑minded approach.

Nice to Have

• Workflow orchestration (e.g., Temporal, Cadence) or event‑driven architectures (Kafka).
• Large‑scale data and analytics tooling (Trino, Flink, Iceberg, or equivalent).
• ML systems in production, predictions, ranking, or optimization, or a strong interest in them.
• Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP) and containers (Docker, Kubernetes)

Why join us

• Demand for online food delivery is growing really fast! In the last 5 years, just in the US, the overall market has expanded 10X from $10B to $100B, and could expand to $500bn- $1T by 2030.
• Changing the restaurant industry: You’ll be part of a team that helps restaurants succeed in online food delivery.
• Collaborative environment: You will receive support and guidance from experienced colleagues and managers, helping you to learn, grow and achieve your goals, and you’ll work closely with other teams to ensure our customer’s success.

What else you need to know

This role is based in our Seattle office location. As a company driven by innovation and continuous change, close collaboration is essential. We’re constantly reimagining our industry, creating new products, and refining our processes, and we do our best work together. That’s why all of our office‑based teams work onsite, five days a week.

Compensation & Benefits

The base salary range for this role is $167,000 - $230,000 per year.

Actual compensation will be determined on an individual basis and may vary depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for equity awards and an annual performance‑based bonus.

Benefits Summary (USA Full-Time Exempt Employees)

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (multiple plans, incl. HSA options).
• Company‑paid life and disability insurance (short‑ and long‑term).
• Voluntary insurance: accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity.
• Optional supplemental life insurance for self, spouse, and children.
• Pet insurance discount.
• 401(k).
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare, Dependent Care, Commuter)
• Time Off policies:
  • Discretionary vacation days
  • 8 paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick time
  • Paid Bereavement leave
  • Paid Parental Leave

Benefits are subject to change at the company's discretion.