Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Backend

pika; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity

Health benefits

Hybrid in-office culture

Job summary

Pika in Palo Alto, CA, hybrid in-office, is seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale our backend infrastructure powering real-time collaboration and AI-driven workflows. You will own the design and delivery of robust APIs and systems that support millions of users across our products.

Work with product, design, and engineering to deliver reliable, secure, and performant services. You’ll help shape the technical foundation, mentor engineers, and drive architectural decisions

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend software engineering experience.
• 2+ years in senior backend roles.
• Experience with distributed systems and real-time APIs.
• Proven ability to lead complex backend projects.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop scalable backend systems and APIs.
• Build distributed systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP).
• Own backend features from ideation to launch.
• Support low-latency real-time collaboration at scale.
• Design backend features for AI-driven capabilities.
• Mentor engineers and drive architectural standards.

Skills

Backend development

Distributed systems

RESTful APIs

Real-time APIs

Cloud infrastructure

System design

Technical leadership

Cross-functional communication

Tools

AWS

GCP

Kubernetes

PostgreSQL

Redis

Docker

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