Senior Software Engineer - Backend

Motive; Seattle, San Francisco (WA, CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental & vision

Paid time off

Disability insurance

Life insurance

401k

Job summary

Motive is hiring a Senior Software Engineer on the Equipment Monitoring team to build backend systems for fleet visibility, using IoT data. You will design and operate ingestion and stream-processing pipelines (Kafka, Flink) and collaborate with Embedded/IoT teams on device data contracts; work in a cloud-first environment with AWS, GCP, and Azure.

You will develop scalable APIs, reduce tech debt, and mentor peers while leveraging AI tools to improve quality; this role supports a hybrid work

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science or related field.
• 5+ years software development experience.
• Experience building distributed systems and event-driven pipelines (Kafka, Flink, Kinesis).
• Proficiency in Ruby, Golang, Kotlin/Java is a plus.
• Experience with PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, Redis, Cassandra.
• Experience with AWS, GCP, Azure or private clouds.
• IoT/sensor data or geospatial systems experience is a plus.
• Ownership and problem solving mindset.
• Hybrid in-office two days a week.

Responsibilities

• Develop highly observable, reliable, scalable backend services for IoT telemetry.
• Build and operate stream-processing pipelines (Kafka, Flink) for geo-fencing and alerts.
• Design, build, and maintain scalable APIs for internal and external apps.
• Collaborate with Embedded, IoT, and cross-functional teams on data contracts.
• Champion engineering excellence by reducing technical debt and improving quality.
• Leverage AI tools to increase productivity and code quality.
• Contribute to AWS Cloud infra and mentor other engineers.

Skills

Distributed systems

Event-driven pipelines

Ruby

Golang

Java/Kotlin

Databases

Cloud infrastructure

IoT data

Geospatial

Hybrid work

Education

BS or MS in Computer Science

Tools

Kafka

Flink

Kinesis

PostgreSQL

DynamoDB

Redis

Cassandra

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

Who we are:

Motive empowers the people who run physical operations with tools to make their work safer, more productive, and more profitable. For the first time ever, safety, operations and finance teams can manage their drivers, vehicles, equipment, and fleet related spend in a single system. Combined with industry leading AI, the Motive platform gives you complete visibility and control, and significantly reduces manual workloads by automating and simplifying tasks.

Motive serves nearly 100,000 customers – from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses – across a wide range of industries, including transportation and logistics, construction, energy, field service, manufacturing, agriculture, food and beverage, retail, and the public sector.

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Equipment Monitoring team, you will build the backend systems that give fleets unmatched visibility into the location, utilization, and health of their equipment - trailers, reefers, construction machinery, and small assets. Our data comes from IoT devices in the field: Asset Gateways, BLE environmental and door sensors, and Beacons. You will design and operate the ingestion and stream-processing pipelines (Kafka, Flink) that turn this raw sensor telemetry into accurate real-time locations, geofence events, trips, and alerts. You will collaborate closely with our Embedded/firmware and IoT teams on device payloads and end-to-end data flows, making this a great role for engineers who enjoy working near the hardware while building cloud services at scale.

What You'll Do:

• Develop highly observable, reliable, and scalable backend services that process telemetry from hundreds of thousands of IoT devices (sensors, beacons, asset gateways).
• Build and operate stream-processing pipelines (Kafka, Flink) powering geo-fencing, alerting, trip construction, and asset location.
• Design, build, and maintain scalable APIs for both internal and external applications.
• Collaborate with Embedded, IoT, and cross-functional teams on device data contracts and end-to-end feature delivery.
• Champion engineering excellence by proactively reducing technical debt and improving code quality.
• Leverage AI tools such as Cursor, CoPilot to increase productivity and code quality.
• Actively work on our AWS Cloud infrastructure, and mentor and learn from other engineers to foster a culture of continuous growth.

What We're Looking For:

• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or related field
• 5+ years software development experience
• Experience building distributed systems and event-driven/stream-processing pipelines (Kafka, Flink, Kinesis or similar)
• Experience in modern programming languages. Proficiency in Ruby, Golang, Kotlin/Java is a plus.
• Experience with Relational and NoSQL databases such as PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, Redis, and Cassandra
• Experience building for Cloud Infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, Azure or private clouds
• Experience with IoT/sensor data or geospatial systems (geofencing, location) is a plus
• Ownership and Problem Solving mindset
• Hybrid in the office two days a week

Pay Transparency Your compensation may be based on several factors, including education, work experience, and certifications. For certain roles, total compensation may include restricted stock units. Motive offers benefits including health, pharmacy, optical and dental care benefits, paid time off, sick time off, short term and long term disability coverage, life insurance as well as 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). Learn more about our benefits by visiting Motive Perks & Benefits

The base compensation range for this role is:

$140,000 - $193,000 USD

Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is one of Motive's core values. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives.

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The applicant must be authorized to receive and access those commodities and technologies controlled under U.S. Export Administration Regulations. It is Motive's policy to require that employees be authorized to receive access to Motive products and technology.

All job postings are for existing vacancies. Please note; some interviews or new-hire training sessions may be held in person at one of our global offices.