Software Engineer, Backend

Walters, Nelson and Smith; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Walters, Nelson & Smith is seeking a Software Engineer, Backend in San Francisco to design, build, and maintain scalable backend services powering AI-driven products. You will collaborate with AI and frontend teams to architect reliable APIs and ensure robust data flows, owning the work end-to-end from design to deployment.

The firm emphasizes a bespoke, partner-led approach and technical excellence, offering senior-level engagement on projects and a culture of rigorous engineering practices in

Qualifications

• Approximately 4+ years of professional software engineering experience with a primary focus on backend development.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain backend services, APIs, and data pipelines to support AI-powered applications and internal tools.

Skills

Backend

APIs

Distributed systems

Cloud

SQL/NoSQL

CI/CD

Debugging

English

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

Software Engineer, Backend

Walters, Nelson and Smith San Francisco, California, United States

About this position

Walters, Nelson & Smith | Precision in Engineering

Walters, Nelson & Smith (WNS) is a premier boutique engineering consulting firm dedicated to delivering high-impact solutions for complex structural and mechanical challenges. Founded on the principles of technical excellence and agile problem-solving, we bridge the gap between visionary design and practical execution.

Unlike larger, more rigid firms, WNS prides itself on a bespoke approach . We offer senior-level expertise and direct partner involvement on every project, ensuring that our clients receive sophisticated engineering insights tailored to their specific operational needs.

Core Specializations

• Structural Forensic Analysis: Identifying and resolving integrity issues in existing infrastructure.
• Sustainable Systems Design: Integrating energy-efficient mechanical solutions into modern builds.
• Precision Prototyping: Streamlining the transition from conceptual CAD models to functional, manufacture-ready designs.
• Regulatory Compliance & Risk Mitigation: Navigating the complex landscape of international engineering standards.

At Walters, Nelson & Smith, we don't just solve problems—we engineer resilience. Our focus is on building lasting partnerships through transparency, technical rigor, and a relentless commitment to quality.

About The Role

As a Software Engineer, Backend, you will play a key role in designing, building, and maintaining scalable backend services that power our AI-driven products. You’ll collaborate closely with cross-functional partners in the Backend and AI teams to architect reliable APIs, optimize system performance, and ensure robust data flows that support our customer-facing and internal applications. This salaried, full-time position is ideal for an engineer with around 4 years of experience who is comfortable owning services end-to-end—from design and implementation through deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement.

What You'll Do

• Design, implement, and maintain backend services, APIs, and data pipelines to support AI-powered applications and internal tools.
• Collaborate with product managers, frontend engineers, and AI/ML engineers to translate business and model requirements into scalable backend solutions.
• Write clean, testable, and maintainable code, including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests, following modern software engineering best practices.
• Architect and optimize database schemas, queries, and storage strategies for performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Integrate AI/ML models and services into backend systems, ensuring robust, low-latency, and secure inference and data processing paths.
• Participate in code reviews, technical design discussions, and architectural decisions within the Backend team.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and improve the performance, reliability, and observability of backend services in production.
• Contribute to continuous delivery and deployment pipelines, automating build, test, and release processes where possible.
• Document systems, services, and processes to ensure long-term maintainability and effective knowledge sharing across the team.
• Stay current with backend and AI-related technologies and propose improvements to our stack, tools, and development practices.

Qualifications

• Approximately 4+ years of professional software engineering experience with a primary focus on backend development.
• Strong proficiency in at least one modern backend programming language (e.g., Python, Java, Go, Node.js, or similar).
• Hands-on experience designing and building RESTful and/or gRPC APIs and backend services in a production environment.
• Solid understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including algorithms, data structures, design patterns, and distributed systems concepts.
• Experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases, including schema design, query optimization, and data modeling.
• Familiarity with integrating AI/ML services or working within AI-infused applications (e.g., model-serving, feature APIs, or data pipelines).
• Comfort working with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization/orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with modern development practices, including code reviews, version control (Git), CI/CD, and automated testing.
• Strong debugging and problem-solving skills, with a focus on performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Effective communication skills in English and the ability to work collaboratively in a cross-functional, team-oriented environment.