Senior Software Engineer

Underdog: Verified engineers. Interview-ready. Searching confidentially. And companies apply to you; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Competitive salary

Cutting-edge tech stack

A-player team

Job summary

Underdog is seeking a Software Engineer with strong Golang and Python skills to design, build, and scale backend services powering an AI-driven platform. You will work on APIs, data pipelines, and integration with a range of LLM providers, while collaborating with ML researchers to productionize models.

Join a small, fast-moving team that values ownership, clean code, and delivering production-grade features from concept to deployment in a cloud-enabled environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional software development experience with a strong focus on backend systems.
• Proven, hands-on experience shipping production-level services in Python or Golang.
• Solid understanding of computer science fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, and system design.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Passion for AI/ML and Large Language Models.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance, distributed backend services in Golang.
• Architect and implement robust APIs and data pipelines for LLM-based inference systems.
• Integrate with various LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic) and open-source models, optimizing latency and cost.
• Contribute to the full software lifecycle from concept to deployment and operations.
• Collaborate with ML researchers to productionize models and algorithms.
• Write clean, well-tested, maintainable code and participate in code reviews.
• Identify and address performance bottlenecks and scalability challenges.

Skills

Golang

Python

Backend systems

Cloud platforms

Docker/Kubernetes

Algorithms & data structures

Independent work

Tools

AWS

GCP

Azure

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenAI

Anthropic

LLM integration

Job description

Our hiring partner is on a mission to supercharge the impact of donation dollars through software that enables foundations to build relationships with grantees and easily distribute and track their funds.

Software Engineer (Golang & LLM Focus)

Company Overview

A pioneering startup, recently empowered by a $30M seed funding round from top-tier investors, is building the next generation of intelligent data infrastructure. We are on a mission to bridge the gap between complex, unstructured data and actionable business intelligence. Our platform leverages cutting-edge artificial intelligence to unlock insights that were previously inaccessible, empowering enterprises to make smarter, data-driven decisions faster than ever before.

We are a small, product-obsessed team of engineers and researchers who are passionate about solving hard problems. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape the core architecture and product direction of a company poised to redefine its category.

The Role: Software Engineer (LLM Focus)

We are seeking a versatile and driven Software Engineer with deep expertise in Python or Golang and a strong interest in Large Language Models (LLMs). You will be a foundational member of the engineering team, directly responsible for designing, building, and scaling the core backend systems that power our AI-driven platform. Your work will sit at the critical intersection of high-performance data processing, API design, and the integration of state-of-the-art LLMs into a robust, production-grade environment.

This role is for someone who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys taking ownership of complex features from concept to deployment, and is excited to write code that will form the bedrock of our company.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance, distributed backend services in Golang.
• Architect and implement robust APIs and data pipelines for processing and serving data to and from our LLM-based inference systems.
• Integrate with various LLM providers (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) and open-source models, optimizing for latency, cost, and reliability.
• Contribute to the entire software development lifecycle, including concept, design, build, deployment, and operational excellence.
• Collaborate closely with ML researchers and engineers to productionize machine learning models and algorithms.
• Write clean, well-tested, and maintainable code, and participate in rigorous code reviews.
• Proactively identify and address performance bottlenecks, scalability challenges, and system vulnerabilities.

Qualifications & Experience

Must-Haves:

• 3+ years of professional software development experience with a strong focus on backend systems.
• Proven, hands‑on experience building and shipping production‑level services in Python or Golang.
• Solid understanding of computer science fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, and system design.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• A genuine passion for and understanding of the modern AI/ML landscape, specifically Large Language Models.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to work independently in a fast‑paced, early‑stage startup environment.

Nice-to-Haves:

• Hands‑on experience fine‑tuning, deploying, or managing open‑source LLMs (e.g., Llama, Mistral).
• Experience with vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector) and RAG (Retrieval‑Augmented Generation) architectures.
• Knowledge of MLOps practices and tools for model deployment and monitoring.
• Familiarity with data engineering and processing large‑scale, unstructured datasets.
• Previous experience in an early‑stage, venture‑backed startup.

What We Offer

• Foundational Impact: Your code and architectural decisions will have an outsized impact on the product and the company's trajectory.
• Equity Ownership: A significant equity grant, ensuring you share directly in the value you create.
• Competitive Compensation: A competitive salary and benefits package, reflective of our recent funding.
• Cutting-Edge Tech Stack: The opportunity to work exclusively with modern technologies on challenging, green-field projects.
• A-Player Team: Collaborate with a small, dedicated, and highly skilled team that values learning and excellence.