Software Engineer: Backend

Thatch Health; San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 161,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Thatch Health is seeking a Backend Software Engineer to design and build the core systems powering our health benefits platform. You will own data models, fund flows, and automations that ensure correct money movement and compliant benefits at scale.

You will collaborate with product and operations, ship reliable backend services using Ruby on Rails and related tech, and mentor teammates while owning production reliability.

Qualifications

• Production backend systems experience in a real-world environment.
• Track record shipping systems with complex business and operational implications.
• Strong ability to reason about data models, workflows, and edge cases.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous problem spaces with cross-functional tradeoffs.
• Experience mentoring engineers or setting technical direction.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evolve backend systems that support enrollments, payments, payroll, and benefits management.
• Architect and maintain robust data models and fund flows that handle large volumes of financial transactions.
• Build integrations with payroll providers, banks, insurance carriers, and other external partners.
• Improve operational rigor through automation, tooling, monitoring, and observability.
• Partner closely with product, operations, and other engineers to solve complex business problems.
• Take ownership of production systems, including reliability, debugging, and long-term maintainability.

Skills

Backend systems

Data modeling

Ambiguity handling

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Ruby on Rails

React

TailwindCSS

Python

JavaScript

Job description

Back to all Roles

Software Engineer: Backend at Thatch

Location Remote (US); San Francisco, California, United States Compensation $161,000 - $230,000 USD

About the role

Thatch is rewiring how health benefits work. We build software that gives employees real control over how they use their benefits.

We’re looking for a Backend Software Engineer to design and build the core systems that power Thatch. This includes data models, fund flows, automations, and integrations that make healthcare benefits work reliably at scale. Your work ensures money moves correctly, benefits remain compliant, and complex processes work reliably. This work touches real money and real healthcare decisions. The systems you build must be correct, resilient, and built to scale.

We organize engineering around the people we serve: members, employers, and partners, so teams own end-to-end experiences and ship with speed and accountability.

What you'll do

• Design, build, and evolve backend systems that support enrollments, payments, payroll, and benefits management.
• Architect and maintain robust data models and fund flows that handle large volumes of financial transactions.
• Build integrations with payroll providers, banks, insurance carriers, and other external partners.
• Improve operational rigor through automation, tooling, monitoring, and observability.
• Partner closely with product, operations, and other engineers to solve complex business problems.
• Take ownership of production systems, including reliability, debugging, and long-term maintainability.

What we are looking for

• Experience building and maintaining backend systems in a production environment.
• A track record of shipping systems with complex business and operational implications.
• Strong ability to reason about data models, workflows, and edge cases.
• Comfort operating in ambiguous problem spaces with cross-functional tradeoffs.
• Experience mentoring other engineers or setting technical direction.

We hire engineers across multiple levels and care most about the scope you’ve owned, the impact you’ve had, and how you make decisions.

Tools and tech stack

• Ruby on Rails for backend systems.
• React and TailwindCSS for the frontend.
• Small amounts of Python and backend JavaScript where appropriate.

Prior Ruby experience is helpful but not required. We value engineers who can learn quickly and think clearly about systems.

Experience that stands out

• Work in healthcare, finance, or other complex or regulated domains.
• Experience with HR, payroll, payments, or partner-facing systems.
• Ownership of systems with real operational or financial impact.

How we work

• We move quickly and bias toward action.
• We ship early, learn from real usage, and iterate.
• We operate with trust, ownership, and high empathy.
• We value clarity over ceremony and quality over shortcuts.

What to expect

We aim to keep the process thoughtful, rigorous, and efficient. Most candidates complete it within three weeks. You can expect:

• An initial conversation with a recruiter.
• A collaborative pair programming session.
• A systems design interview and a separate conversation with one of our engineers about how we work together.
• A final conversation with engineering and company leadership.

Equal Employment Opportunity Information

To help us comply with federal and state equal opportunity employment regulations, we invite you to voluntarily provide the following demographic information. This data is collected for statistical reporting purposes only and plays no role in the evaluation of your application. Your decision to provide or withhold this information will not impact your candidacy in any way. We appreciate your participation in helping us foster a fair and inclusive hiring process.

Disability Status Veteran Status Race Gender word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word 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