Software Engineer

Smack Technologies; El Segundo (CA); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and equity

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off and company holidays

Job summary

A defense-focused AI company in California is seeking a Backend Engineer to design and build critical backend services. Responsibilities include developing APIs, supporting deployment, and ensuring system reliability. The ideal candidate should have strong backend engineering experience, proficiency in Python or Go, and be comfortable working in collaborative engineering teams. The company offers competitive salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits including medical and 401(k).

Qualifications

• Professional experience building and operating production software systems.
• Strong backend engineering experience with some exposure to full-stack development.
• Experience developing and maintaining APIs (REST, gRPC, GraphQL, or similar).
• Experience with a strongly typed language (Go/Java/C#/C++).
• Experience building and maintaining APIs (REST, gRPC, GraphQL).
• Experience deploying and operating services.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes or similar tools.
• Ability to navigate ambiguous problems with clarity.
• Collaborative, fast-moving engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend services that power core product capabilities.
• Develop and maintain APIs used by internal systems and user-facing applications.
• Support deployment, configuration, and operation of services.
• Support deployment, configuration, and operation of services in TS/SCI and on-prem environments.
• Debug and resolve issues across services, deployments, and integrations.
• Work closely with engineers to turn ambiguous requirements into working systems.
• Travel periodically to support customer integrations and on-site deployments.
• Continuously improve system reliability, performance, and maintainability.

Skills

Backend engineering

API development

Proficiency in Python

Experience with Kubernetes

API development

Kubernetes

Ambiguity handling

Team collaboration

Tools

Go

Java

C#

C++

Job description

Smack Technologies is a defense-focused AI company building software that helps government teams plan, train, and operate more effectively. We create production systems that combine advanced simulation, data, and engineering to solve complex real-world problems.

Tasks

Design and build backend services that power core product and platform capabilities.

Develop and maintain APIs used by internal systems and user-facing applications.

Contribute to full-stack features when the product needs require it.

Support deployment, configuration, and operation of services in TS/SCI and on-prem environments.

Debug and resolve issues across services, deployments, and integrations.

Work closely with engineers to turn ambiguous requirements into working systems.

Travel periodically to support customer integrations and on-site deployments.

Continuously improve system reliability, performance, and maintainability.

Requirements

Professional experience building and operating production software systems

Strong backend engineering experience with some exposure to full-stack development

Proficiency in Python or Go in a professional environment

Experience with at least one strongly typed language such as Go, Java, C#, or C++

Experience developing and maintaining APIs (REST, gRPC, GraphQL, or similar)

Experience supporting deployed services, including basic deployment, scripting, or operational tasks

Exposure to Kubernetes or similar orchestration tools

Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous problem spaces and help clarify requirements

Experience working in collaborative, fast-moving engineering teams

Benefits

Competitive salary and equity

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off and company holidays

If you want your work to move beyond development and into real operational use, we encourage you to apply.