Staff Backend Architect — AI SaaS for Chip Design (Hybrid)

Cognichip; Redwood City (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognichip is seeking a Staff Backend Software Engineer to design and scale backend services powering its AI-native semiconductor platform. The role focuses on cloud-native microservices, licensing models, and scalable workflows, with collaboration across R&D, product, and sales teams.

You will lead architecture, implement robust CI/CD, and shape observability across multi-cluster deployments, delivering reliable, high-performance backend capabilities for internal and client-facing products.

Qualifications

• 15+ years software engineering experience
• 5+ years in technical leadership
• Proven success in scaling cloud-native SaaS platforms
• Deep expertise in distributed systems, databases, messaging queues and caching

Responsibilities

• Architect and build robust, scalable backend microservices within a cloud-native Kubernetes environment, ensuring high availability and performance.
• Bridge the gap between backend services and UI requirements, delivering seamless full-stack capabilities where necessary.
• Engineer automated CI/CD workflows for efficient service deployment, container management, and image lifecycles.
• Implement advanced observability, metrics, and alerting strategies to ensure reliability across multi-cluster environments.
• Partner cross-functionally with IDE, Agentic, Evaluations teams to architect backend services that unlock new, high-impact product features.
• Build internal platforms and tooling that empower research, sales, and solutions teams to operate with high velocity.
• Champion engineering excellence by enforcing code quality standards, setting technical strategy, and maintaining architectural consistency across systems.
• Serve as a technical authority for key systems, driving domain expertise and seamless integration within our broader ecosystem.

Skills

Distributed systems

Microservices

Databases

Messaging queues

Caching strategies

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Code quality

Tools

Kubernetes

Job description

Cognichip is seeking a Staff Backend Software Engineer to design and scale backend services powering its AI-native semiconductor platform. The role focuses on cloud-native microservices, licensing models, and scalable workflows, with collaboration across R&D, product, and sales teams.

You will lead architecture, implement robust CI/CD, and shape observability across multi-cluster deployments, delivering reliable, high-performance backend capabilities for internal and client-facing products.