Software Engineer, Backend

Profound; San Francisco, New York (CA, NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Profound is the marketing platform for the AI era, enabling brands to measure AI presence and act on insights. As a Backend Engineer, you will design and optimize infrastructure powering AI-driven analytics, building scalable APIs and data pipelines in a fast-moving startup.

You will work with Node.js, Python, or Rust, manage distributed systems, and ensure security and performance. This onsite role spans NYC/SF/Buenos Aires and offers competitive compensation and a full benefits package.

Qualifications

• Proven backend development experience.
• Proficiency with Node.js, Python, or Rust.
• Experience with scalable backend architecture and data pipelines.
• Strong knowledge of relational and OLAP databases.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure) and container tech.
• Comfortable in fast-moving startup environments.

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop high-performance backend systems for AI-driven analytics.
• Build and maintain scalable APIs for real-time insights.
• Optimize data pipelines for large-scale data, both structured and unstructured.
• Ensure security, performance, and reliability across the stack.
• Collaborate with frontend engineers and data scientists to ship impactful features.
• Make key technical decisions balancing speed and maintainability.

Skills

Backend development

Node.js

Python

Rust

PostgreSQL/MySQL/OLAP

Data pipelines

Distributed systems

Cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP/Azure)

Docker

Kubernetes

Security best practices

Startup environment

Job description

Profound is the marketing platform for the AI era. As people increasingly turn to ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini to decide what to buy, we give brands the intelligence to see how AI represents them and the Agents to act on it. Today, ~13% of the Fortune 500, plus companies like Ramp, Figma, Chime, Calendly, and DocuSign, use Profound to turn AI Search from a black box into a measurable growth channel.

Backed by Lightspeed, Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, and Khosla Ventures at a $1B valuation, we're a lean, fast-moving team across NYC, SF, Buenos Aires, and London, shipping at a relentless pace and defining a new category at the biggest shift in marketing in 25 years. If you want to do the best work of your career at the frontier of AI, come build it with us.

As a Backend Engineer, you will build and optimize the infrastructure that powers our AI-driven insights. You will design scalable APIs, process large datasets efficiently, and ensure high-performance systems that help businesses take control of their AI presence.

What you’ll do

• Architect and develop high-performance backend systems that support AI-driven analytics

• Build and maintain scalable APIs to power real-time insights and data retrieval

• Optimize data processing pipelines to handle large-scale structured and unstructured data

• Ensure system security, performance, and reliability at every level of the stack

• Work closely with front-end engineers and data scientists to deliver seamless, high-impact features

• Own key technical decisions, balancing speed with long-term maintainability

Who you are

• A strong portfolio or GitHub showcasing backend development expertise

• Proficient in Node.js, Python, or Rust, with experience in scalable backend architecture

• Deep understanding of databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, or OLAP databases, and query optimization

• Experience designing efficient data pipelines and working with distributed systems

• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure and containerization including Docker and Kubernetes

• Strong grasp of security best practices, API authentication, and performance tuning

• Comfortable in a fast-moving, high-performance startup environment

Location

This is an on-site role in our NYC, SF or Buenos Aires office, designed for builders who thrive on speed, iteration, and meaningful impact. We are happy to support visa sponsorship for qualified international candidates.

For this role, the expected base salary range is $140,000 to $260,000 (NYC and SF). Comp may vary based on location. Profound’s total compensation package is designed to be competitive and includes base salary, equity, and a full range of benefits and perks. Final compensation will depend on factors such as your skills, experience, qualifications, and location, and will be determined during the interview process. Our recruiting team will share more details about the full compensation package and benefits as you move through hiring.

Note: All official communication from Profound will come from a @tryprofound.com email address. If you're contacted by anyone using a different domain, please disregard and report it as spam.