Senior Software Engineer, Backend, Google Photos

Google; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 174,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

Google is seeking software engineers to develop next-generation technologies for billions of users. You will work on backend projects critical to Google’s needs and may switch teams as the company grows.

The role emphasizes versatility, leadership, and full-stack problem solving across storage, AI, and system design. The Photos business generation team focuses on growth strategies for Google Photos, managing user storage journeys and ensuring secure, accessible memories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages.
• 3 years of experience testing, maintaining, or launching software products, and 1 year of experience with software design and architecture.
• 3 years of experience with developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems or networks, or experience with compute technologies, storage or hardware architecture.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical direction and lead the development of backend business generation projects.
• Scope complex technical problems, ensure the health of backend systems, and guide the backend engineering team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to define requirements and design scalable solutions.
• Build features that advance the Storage business generation mission while maintaining a high-quality user experience.
• Advocate engineering excellence and adoption of developer AI tools.

Skills

Software development experience

Testing and QA

Software design and architecture

Large-scale infrastructure / systems

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Master's degree or PhD in CS or related field

Tools

Java

Kotlin

Job description

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages.
• 3 years of experience testing, maintaining, or launching software products, and 1 year of experience with software design and architecture.
• 3 years of experience with developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems or networks, or experience with compute technologies, storage or hardware architecture.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.
• 5 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
• 3 years of experience programming in the Java or Kotlin programming language.
• 1 year of experience in a technical leadership role.
• Proficiency in code and system health, diagnosis and resolution, and software test engineering.

About the job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

The Photos business generation team focuses on optimizing business growth strategies for the Photos App. We manage vital user storage journeys that are central to our business growth.

Our mission is to create and enhance experiences that drive the expansion of Google Photos and its integration with Google One. We assist users throughout their storage lifecycle, helping them monitor usage and find the best solutions to keep their digital memories secure and accessible.

Google Photos is a beloved product that reaches 1.4B monthly active users. In this role, you will be a part of a growing business while building systems that match Google scale. The team is passionate about building a beautiful and sustainable consumer product and you will work cross-functionally while learning quickly through experimentation, and prototyping.

Google Photos is a photo sharing and storage service developed by Google. Photos is one of the most sought after products at Google and is looking for both client-side (web and mobile), with server-side (search, storage, serving) and machine intelligence (learning, computer vision) Software Engineers. We are dedicated to making Google experiences centered around the user.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $174000 - $252000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits.

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical direction and lead the development of backend business generation projects, such as server-driven promotions.
• Scope complex technical problems, ensure the overall health of backend systems, and guide the backend engineering team.
• Collaborate withcross-functional partners and engineering leads on other platforms (Android, iOS) to define requirements and design scalable solutions.
• Build features that advance the Storage business generation mission while maintaining a delightful and consistent user experience across platforms.
• Advocate engineering excellence and the adoption of developer AI tools within the broader team.

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Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See also Google's EEO Policy, Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal, Belonging at Google, and How we hire.

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Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

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