Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Recruiting from Scratch; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive equity

Profit sharing

On-site

Job summary

Recruiting from Scratch is seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Infrastructure) for on-site work in San Francisco. You will design and operate core infrastructure powering data generation and AI evaluation pipelines, focusing on scalability, reliability, and large-scale systems.

Ideal candidates have 5–8 years in software engineering, strong backend infra experience, cloud production systems familiarity (AWS/GCP), and proficiency in Python or Node.js, plus hands-on use of Kubernetes,

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of software engineering experience.
• Strong backend and infrastructure experience (distributed systems, scalability, reliability).
• Production systems experience in cloud environments (AWS or GCP).
• Proficiency in Python or Node.js.
• Experience with modern infrastructure tools (Kubernetes, Kafka, Redis).

Responsibilities

• Design and build core infrastructure powering data generation, evaluation pipelines, and AI systems.
• Own scalability, reliability, and performance of foundational backend systems.
• Architect distributed systems to handle high-throughput, large-scale datasets.
• Collaborate with product and vertical engineering teams to enable rapid development.
• Establish best practices for system design, observability, and deployment.
• Improve infrastructure for real-time and batch processing workloads.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to a high-performance engineering culture.
• Work across the stack when needed (backend-heavy with some full-stack exposure).
• Take ownership of critical systems from design through production.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

Cloud environments (AWS/GCP)

Python

Node.js

Kubernetes

Kafka

Redis

Tools

Elasticsearch

Docker

Job description

Who is Recruiting from Scratch: Recruiting from Scratch is a specialized talent firm dedicated to helping companies build exceptional teams. We partner closely with our clients to deeply understand their needs, then connect them with top-tier candidates who are not only highly skilled but also the right fit for the company’s culture and vision. Our mission is simple: place the best people in the right roles to drive long-term success for both clients and candidates.https://www.recruitingfromscratch.com/

Title of Role: Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Infrastructure)

Company Stage of Funding: Early-stage (recently raised ~$30M+, Series A upcoming)

Office Type: On-site (5 days/week)

Salary: $250,000 – $300,000 + Competitive Equity + Bonus (profit share)

Company Description

Our client is a rapidly growing AI infrastructure company building the backbone for next-generation agentic systems and data workflows. They are working at the frontier of AI by enabling large-scale data generation, evaluation pipelines, and human-in-the-loop systems that power advanced machine learning models.

The company is already generating significant revenue with strong growth and is collaborating with leading AI labs and high-growth startups. With a highly technical and talent-dense team, they are tackling some of the most complex infrastructure challenges in AI today.

Operating across domains like healthcare and finance, they are building scalable systems to support massive data throughput and real-time processing—positioning themselves as a key infrastructure layer in the evolving AI ecosystem.

What You Will Do

• Design and build core infrastructure powering data generation, evaluation pipelines, and AI systems
• Own scalability, reliability, and performance of foundational backend systems
• Architect distributed systems to handle high-throughput, large-scale datasets
• Collaborate with product and vertical engineering teams to enable rapid development
• Establish best practices for system design, observability, and deployment
• Improve infrastructure for real-time and batch processing workloads
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to a high-performance engineering culture
• Work across the stack when needed (backend-heavy with some full-stack exposure)
• Take ownership of critical systems from design through production

Ideal Candidate Background

• 5–8 years of software engineering experience
• Strong backend and infrastructure experience (distributed systems, scalability, reliability)
• Experience building and operating production systems in cloud environments (AWS or GCP)
• Proficiency in languages such as Python or Node.js
• Experience with modern infrastructure tools (Kubernetes, Kafka, Redis, etc.)
• Strong understanding of system design, data architecture, and high-throughput systems
• Experience working in startup or high-growth environments
• Ability to operate independently and take ownership of critical systems

Preferred

• Experience working on data infrastructure, ML pipelines, or human-in-the-loop systems
• Background at high-growth startups, data platforms, or quantitative environments
• Experience with real-time systems, event pipelines, or streaming architectures
• Familiarity with Elasticsearch or large-scale search/indexing systems
• Strong academic background in computer science or related field
• Experience mentoring engineers or acting as a technical leader

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive equity package
• Performance-based bonus (profit share upside)
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI infrastructure
• High ownership and impact as an early engineering hire
• Work alongside a highly technical and talent-dense team
• Fast-growing company with strong revenue traction