Sr. Core Backend Engineer

Route; United States; Hybrid; USD 171,000 - 181,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance coverage

Remote or hybrid work arrangements

Unlimited PTO

401(k) matching

Growth opportunities

Learning & development

DEI programs & events

Stock options

Job summary

Route is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to design, build, and scale our post-purchase backend services. You will work on the Orders, Tracking, and merchant APIs, partnering with product and engineering teams to deliver reliable, high‑volume solutions.

You’ll mentor other engineers, establish best practices, and influence architectural decisions while maintaining a strong focus on reliability and performance across distributed systems.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
• 7+ years of backend engineering experience designing, building, and scaling systems.
• Experience with Go or willingness to learn Go and ship production services.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, deploy, and maintain highly scalable backend services using Go.
• Own critical services across Orders, Tracking, and related backend platforms.
• Design and evolve distributed systems and event-driven architectures for high throughput.
• Build and maintain REST and GraphQL APIs for internal and partner use.
• Develop integrations with merchant platforms, carriers, and third-party APIs.
• Improve performance, reliability, and observability of production services.
• Mentor engineers through design reviews and best practices.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and engineering standards.

Skills

Go

AWS

Relational Databases

NoSQL Databases

APIs (REST/GraphQL)

Event-driven architectures

Terraform

Grafana

Distributed systems

Mentoring

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

CockroachDB

DynamoDB

Job description

We are Route. When shoppers hit "buy," a great customer experience doesn’t end, it’s just getting started. For too long, everything after checkout has been the weakest link in ecommerce: confusing tracking, lost or damaged packages, clunky returns, and missed opportunities to turn first‑time buyers into lifelong fans. That’s why we built Route.

Our mission is simple: we create shopper confidence that fuels brand growth. Route is the leading post‑purchase platform for modern ecommerce, trusted by over 13,000 brands and protecting more than $20 billion in gross merchandise value to date. From package protection and industry‑leading order tracking to returns and exchanges, cash‑back loyalty, and engaging product recommendations, Route brings every moment after checkout into one powerful platform, empowering shoppers with visibility and peace of mind while giving merchants loyalty that lasts well beyond the first sale.

The team

The Core Backend Engineering team builds the foundational systems that power Route’s post‑purchase experience and help connect the world’s commerce through innovative, scalable products. Our team owns the highly available, business‑critical services behind Package Protection, Returns Protection, claims, order management, shipment tracking, merchant integrations, and more. Core Engineers solve complex distributed systems challenges at scale, building reliable platforms, APIs, and services that process millions of events and support merchants, partners, consumers, and internal teams every day.

The opportunity

The Core Backend team at Route is looking for a Senior Backend Engineer to help design, build, and scale the services that power our end‑to‑end post‑purchase experience. In this role, you’ll solve complex backend challenges across our Orders platform, Tracking services, merchant APIs, third‑party integrations, and other foundational systems that support millions of shipments. You’ll partner closely with Product Managers, Engineering teams, and external partners to deliver reliable, scalable solutions that create seamless experiences for merchants and consumers.

We’re looking for someone who thrives in complex distributed systems, takes ownership from design through production, and is passionate about building technology that has meaningful business impact. You’ll influence technical decisions, mentor other engineers, establish best practices, and help shape the future of Route’s core platform.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, test, deploy, and maintain highly scalable backend services using Go.
• Own critical services supporting Package Protection, Returns Protection, Claims, Orders, Tracking, and Email Parsing.
• Design and evolve distributed systems and event‑driven architectures that process high volumes of transactions reliably.
• Build and maintain REST and GraphQL APIs used by internal products, merchants, and external partners.
• Develop and improve integrations with merchant platforms, carriers, and third‑party APIs.
• Optimize system performance, reliability, scalability, and observability across production services.
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and cross‑functional stakeholders to deliver impactful solutions.
• Mentor engineers through technical leadership, design reviews, and knowledge sharing.
• Participate in architectural decisions and continuously improve engineering standards and operational excellence.

What We’re Looking For

• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience designing, building, and scaling backend systems.
• Experience designing, deploying, and supporting distributed systems in production environments.
• Proficiency with Go, or experience with another modern backend language and excitement to build expertise in Go.
• Experience building and maintaining cloud‑based services, preferably within AWS environments.
• Experience working with relational databases, distributed databases, and NoSQL technologies (such as CockroachDB, DynamoDB, or similar platforms).
• Experience designing and building scalable APIs, including REST, GraphQL, or similar technologies.
• Understanding of event‑driven architectures, asynchronous messaging patterns, and high‑volume data processing.
• Familiarity with Infrastructure‑as‑Code tools such as Terraform or similar technologies.
• Experience with monitoring, observability, and improving platform reliability using tools such as Grafana or similar platforms.
• Strong foundation in software engineering principles, system design, and scalable architecture patterns.
• Ability to communicate effectively, collaborate across teams, and mentor engineers through technical guidance and best practices.
• Experience partnering with third‑party APIs, external integrations, or complex technical ecosystems.
• Interest in improving engineering practices, operational excellence, and developer productivity.
• Experience in ecommerce, logistics, shipping, post‑purchase platforms, or similar domains is helpful but not required.
• BS/MS in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.

Equal opportunity for all

Route is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We embrace diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Total Rewards

We know our team works best when everyone feels happy, healthy, and supported. We offer to pay 95%–100% of your health insurance premiums for you and your family, remote or hybrid work arrangements, unlimited PTO, 401(k) matching, formalized growth opportunities, learning & development, DEI programs & events, and so much more.

Pay Transparency

Salary for this role:

• National: $171,000 – $181,000
• Brazil: $87,000 – $92,000

The cash compensation above includes base salary, and is not reflective of potential commission for employees in eligible roles, or annual bonus targets under Route’s bonus plan for eligible roles. In addition to cash compensation, all Route employees are eligible to participate in Route’s equity incentive plan to receive stock options per the terms of the agreement. Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay. Individual compensation packages are based on a few different factors unique to each candidate, including their career level, skills, experience, specific geographic location qualifications and other job‑related reasons.