Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Sarah Smith Fund; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 210,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity in startup

Comprehensive health benefits

Monthly stipends

Company retreats

Collaborative office culture

Job summary

Pika is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale backend infrastructure powering real-time collaboration and AI-powered workflows. You will own architecture, design, and delivery of robust systems used by millions of users.

You will collaborate with engineering, product, and design teams to ship reliable, high-performance backend features while mentoring others and shaping technical direction for the core platforms.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years in senior backend roles.
• Deep expertise in building distributed systems, RESTful and real-time APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes).
• Strong system design skills for reliable, scalable backend services for high-traffic applications.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop scalable, high-performing backend systems and APIs powering all products and services.
• Build, maintain, and enhance distributed systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), ensuring high availability and reliability.
• Take ownership of backend features and platforms from ideation through launch and iteration.
• Develop systems to support low-latency, real-time collaboration and messaging at scale.
• Design and optimize backend features that power AI-driven product capabilities.
• Lead technical discussions, review code, drive architecture proposals, and mentor engineers to elevate standards.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

RESTful APIs

Real-time APIs

Cloud-native infra

Leadership

Tools

AWS

GCP

Kubernetes

Docker

PostgreSQL

Redis

Go

Python

Node.js

Job description

About Pika

At Pika, we’re building the next generation of AI creative tools to empower human creativity. Our mission is to make video creation seamless, intuitive, and accessible to everyone, leveraging the power of advanced AI. We believe that AI should amplify creative expression—enabling everyone to create, collaborate, and communicate across media. Our team includes engineers, artists, and product thinkers, all passionate about building tools that unlock new creative possibilities.

Pika has raised significant funding and is backed by leading investors, with a collaborative culture based in Palo Alto, CA. We prefer hybrid in-office, sharing ideas and launching products together.

About the Role

We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale the backend infrastructure powering Pika’s user-facing products. In this high-impact role, you’ll own the design and delivery of robust, scalable backend systems, APIs, and infrastructure that support real-time collaboration, AI-powered workflows, and seamless product experiences.

You’ll work closely with engineering, product, and design teams to deliver features that are reliable, performant, and secure. Your leadership in architectural decisions and backend best practices will shape the technical foundation of Pika for millions of users, helping to define both the immediate experience and the long-term direction of our core backend platforms.

What You’ll Do

• Architect and develop scalable, high-performing backend systems and APIs powering all Pika products and services
• Build, maintain, and enhance distributed systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), ensuring high availability and reliability
• Take ownership of backend features and platforms from ideation through launch and ongoing iteration
• Develop systems to support low-latency, real-time collaboration and messaging at scale
• Design and optimize backend features that power creative, AI-driven product capabilities
• Lead technical discussions, review code, drive backend architecture proposals, and mentor engineers to elevate standards across the team

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years in senior backend roles
• Deep expertise in building distributed systems, RESTful and real-time APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, etc.)
• Strong system design skills for reliable, scalable backend services for high-traffic applications
• Track record of launching impactful backend features that balance technical quality with business needs
• Proven ability to independently lead complex projects, troubleshoot problems, and deliver impactful solutions
• Excellent written and verbal communication, able to thrive in cross-functional teams

Nice to Have

• Experience with real-time collaboration platforms, creative tools, or media-rich applications
• Familiarity with integrating generative AI or agent-based systems
• Experience at high-growth startups or in rapidly evolving settings
• Competitive coding, hackathon, or open-source contributions

Our Stack

Python, Go, Node.js, Postgres, Redis, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP

What We Offer

• Competitive salary in the AI industry
• Equity in a rapidly growing startup shaping the future of AI and creativity
• Comprehensive health benefits, monthly stipends, and company retreats
• Supportive, collaborative office culture—we’re all building and launching together