Senior Backend Software Engineer, Developer Productivity Engineering

X Development, LLC; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 161,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and equity

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

PTO & hybrid work model

401(k) with employer contribution

Alphabet-backed mission

Job summary

X is seeking a Developer Productivity & Infrastructure Engineer in Mountain View, CA, to build a seamless, automated platform that enables AI and Power Systems teams to deploy code with zero friction. You will design internal tools and templates to accelerate production readiness while prioritizing security and reliability.

This role emphasizes a strong DevEx mindset, cloud-native patterns, and scalable infrastructure across multiple platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in CS, engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of backend experience with Python, Go, or Java.
• 3+ years deploying on cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, Azure, Oracle).
• Expertise with Docker and Kubernetes for scalable apps.
• Experience with IaC tools: Terraform, Terragrunt, Pulumi, Helm.
• CI/CD experience with ArgoCD and GitHub Actions.
• Strong DevEx focus and ability to document and mentor.

Responsibilities

• Design Infrastructure as a Product, building internal platforms and CLI tools for deployment, secret management, and scaling.
• Identify inner-loop bottlenecks (local setup, build times, test execution) to speed from code to production.
• Standardize templates and best practices for secure, reliable, observable services.
• Provide dashboards, alerting frameworks, and distributed tracing to production teams.

Skills

Python

Go

Java

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Terragrunt

Pulumi

Helm

ArgoCD

GitHub Actions

Job description

About Tapestry

Tapestry is a team within Alphabet working to build the AI‑powered electric grid. We are tackling one of the world’s most important infrastructure challenges: helping the energy system become more visible, understandable, reliable, affordable, abundant, and clean.

Originally born at X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, Tapestry brings together experts in energy, AI, software, engineering, and product to build tools that help the electricity ecosystem plan smarter, move faster, and operate more efficiently.

This is a global effort. Tapestry supports partners across the U.S., U.K., Chile, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil as they work toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future.

Joining Tapestry means doing high‑impact work with a multidisciplinary team tackling a problem that matters at global scale. Learn more about our team and our mission here.

About the role

As a Developer Productivity & Infrastructure Engineer, you won’t just be keeping the lights on; you will be the force multiplier for our entire engineering org. Your mission is to build the ‘Golden Path’—a seamless, automated, and secure platform that allows our AI and Power Systems experts to deploy code at scale with zero friction, turning infrastructure into a competitive advantage rather than a bottleneck.

How you’ll make 10x impact

• Design and treat “Infrastructure as a Product,” creating internal platforms and CLI tools that allow feature teams to deploy services, manage secrets, and scale resources without deep infrastructure knowledge.
• Proactively identify bottlenecks in the inner‑loop development cycle (local environment setup, build times, test execution) to ensure engineers can go from “code complete” to “production” in minutes, not days.
• Establish standardized templates and best practices for service architecture, ensuring that the “easy way” to build is also the most secure, reliable, and observable way.
• Empower application teams to own their own production health by providing intuitive dashboards, standardized alerting frameworks, and distributed tracing tools.

What you should have

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in backend programming languages such as Python, Go, Java.
• 3+ years of extensive experience with leading cloud platforms (Google Cloud Platform) and their core services.
• Expertise in containerization technologies (Docker) and container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes), crucial for managing scalable applications.
• Proven experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Terragrunt, Pulumi, and Helm, for automated and consistent infrastructure management.
• Experience building infrastructure on one or more Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle).
• Proficiency with CI/CD systems and workflows (e.g., ArgoCD, Github Actions), enabling continuous delivery and integration.
• Empathy for the Developer Experience (DevEx): A proven track record of gathering feedback from engineering teams to improve internal tooling and workflows.
• API‑First Mentality: Experience building internal APIs or abstractions that hide the complexity of Kubernetes or Cloud IAM from the end‑user (the SWE).
• Teaching & Mentorship: Ability to lead “Office Hours” or write internal documentation that upskills the broader engineering org on cloud‑native patterns.

It’d be great if you had these

• 2+ years of experience delivering large‑scale transformation projects, specifically transitioning legacy applications to modern cloud‑native solutions.
• Track record of delivering scalable solutions to complex software problems.
• Experience in startup or high‑growth environments.

Our values

• Take charge: We take initiative and own outcomes that move the mission forward.
• Transform with purpose: We build solutions that solve real problems and create meaningful impact.
• Be a Tapestry, not a thread: We collaborate across diverse skills and perspectives to achieve more than we can individually.
• Always fine‑tune: We stay curious, seek feedback, and refine our understanding as we learn.
• Stay grounded: We listen openly, value different perspectives, and stay focused on what matters most.

What we offer

A culture that supports growth, ownership, and meaningful impact, along with:

• Competitive salary and equity
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Generous PTO and flexible hybrid work model
• 401(k) with employer contribution
• The ability to work on important real‑world problems within an Alphabet‑backed environment

The US base salary range for this full‑time position is $161,000 - $194,000 + bonuses + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, or benefits.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

At X, we don’t just accept difference – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

This position is located in Mountain View, CA.