Software Engineer – New College Graduate Software

Front Door Defense; California (MO); On-site; USD 125,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Sift is seeking a New College Graduate Software Engineer to join a small, fast-moving team building foundational systems for the future of engineering in Marina del Rey, CA. You’ll contribute to production code and learn from experienced engineers while helping design scalable data processing features.

Responsibilities include building high-performance systems, collaborating in code reviews, and growing expertise in distributed systems, DevOps, and frontend/backend development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Physics, or another STEM discipline.
• Strong coursework or project experience in data structures, algorithms, or data analysis.
• Eagerness to learn large-scale distributed systems and real-time data platforms.
• Collaborative mindset and strong communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and development of high-performance, scalable systems for data processing and visualization
• Build features for engineers to explore and act on millions of sensor data points
• Work closely with senior engineers in code reviews, design discussions, and product planning
• Learn best practices in distributed systems, DevOps, and frontend/backend development
• Help shape engineering culture, standards, and processes at an early-stage startup

Skills

Data structures

Algorithms

Distributed systems

Communication skills

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

Kafka

Flink

Spark

Beam

PostgreSQL

React

TypeScript

Go

gRPC

Job description

Software Engineer – New College Graduate

Develop scalable data processing features for observability platform at an early-stage startup

Location: Marina del Rey, California

Compensation: $125,000 - 145,000 USD / year

About The Role

New College Graduate Software Engineer

At Sift, we're redefining how modern machines are built, tested, and operated. Our platform gives engineers real-time observability into high-frequency telemetry—eliminating bottlenecks and enabling faster, more reliable development.

Sift was born from our work at SpaceX on Dragon, Falcon, Starlink, and Starship—where scaling telemetry, debugging flight systems, and ensuring mission reliability demanded new infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Google, and Palantir, Sift is built for mission-critical systems where precision and scalability are non-negotiable.

As a New College Graduate Software Engineer, you'll join a small, fast-moving team building foundational systems for the future of engineering. You'll have the opportunity to learn from experienced engineers, contribute to production code, and help design scalable solutions from the ground up.

In This Role, You'll

• Contribute to the design and development of high-performance, scalable systems for data processing and visualization
• Build features for engineers to explore and act on millions of sensor data points
• Work closely with senior engineers in code reviews, design discussions, and product planning
• Learn best practices in distributed systems, DevOps, and frontend/backend development
• Help shape engineering culture, standards, and processes at an early-stage startup

The Skillset You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Physics, or another STEM discipline
• Strong coursework or project experience in data structures, algorithms, or data analysis
• Eagerness to learn large-scale distributed systems and real-time data platforms
• Collaborative mindset and strong communication skills
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment

Bonus Points

• Experience with streaming or data tools (Kafka, Flink, Spark, Beam)
• Familiarity with databases (PostgreSQL, Timescale, Druid, or similar)
• Exposure to frontend frameworks (React, TypeScript)
• Experience with DevOps practices (Git, CI/CD, testing, monitoring)

Engineering At Sift:

• Web frontend & backend: ECharts, Go, gRPC, PostgreSQL, Protobuf, Radix, React, Redux, and TypeScript
• Data: Arrow, DataFusion, Flink, Parquet, and Rust
• Infrastructure: Argo CD, AWS, Docker, GitHub Actions, Grafana, Kubernetes, Kustomize, Linux, Prometheus, and Terragrunt

Location: Sift's headquarters is in Marina Del Rey, CA (Next to LAX). We collaborate in person twice a week—on Mondays and Thursdays—and come together for a full week every two months. We are open to relocating candidates to LA.

Salary range: $100,000 - $140,000 per year. Plus equity and benefits.

Eligibility: U.S. Person Required: Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as an asylee or refugee in compliance with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) / EAR (Export Administration Regulations) regulations.