Staff Software Engineer

Shepherd; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Fertility support

Unlimited PTO

Daily meals

Office locations (SF, NYC, Dallas, etc

Professional development

401(k) plan

Dog-friendly office

Job summary

Shepherd, based in NYC, seeks a talented software engineer to own major product initiatives across the stack. You will work closely with underwriters and actuaries, shipping high-impact features with ownership and technical excellence.

You should have 5+ years of full-stack experience with Javascript/Typescript, and you will collaborate with PMs, the CTO, and the insurance team to drive architecture and product outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering with full-stack delivery.
• Proven ability to own features end-to-end from concept to release.
• Experience shipping products in a fast-paced environment.
• Nice to have insurance/InsurTech exposure or actuarial domain interest.

Responsibilities

• Lead major initiatives and own large areas of Shepherd's product experience.
• Work across the stack with underwriting, design, and PM teams.
• Mentor and grow other engineers as the team scales.
• Balance innovation with pragmatic delivery and shipping quality products.
• Collaborate with PM, CTO, and insurance specialists on architecture.

Skills

Javascript/Typescript

Full-stack engineering

Ownership & shipping

Collaborative communication

Tools

Node.js

React

GraphQL

PostgreSQL

Job description

What We Do

Shepherd is an AI-native commercial insurance platform transforming how high-hazard industries get covered. Our mission is to make risk frictionless for the builders and operators shaping the physical world — protecting progress from concept through construction and into decades of operation.

The infrastructure behind the AI boom — data centers, semiconductor fabs, renewable energy assets — has to be built and insured. But traditional carriers weren't built for this speed:

• Complex commercial construction projects routinely wait weeks for a single quote
• Legacy carriers rely on static applications and disconnected systems
• Brokers chase carriers through calls, emails, and resubmissions

We built Shepherd to solve that. Our AI performs the same underwriting workflows in seconds, and integrates real-time data from construction technology partners — Procore, Autodesk, OpenSpace, DroneDeploy, and others — to see risk as it actually exists, not just as it was reported on a static form.

We're pursuing the most ambitious technical vision in commercial insurance: fully autonomous underwriting. We're closing in on the first fully agentic submission in the industry — email in, price out, no human intervention until the last mile.

With Shepherd, safety, speed, and quality no longer trade off against one another — they compound. We're building:

• Faster decisions
• Smarter, more accurate pricing
• Better risk outcomes for insureds who invest in safer practices

We're not just modernizing insurance products. We're building the risk infrastructure for the next generation of financial services.

Our Investors

In March 2026, Shepherd raised a $42M Series B — bringing total funding to over $60M — led by Intact Private Capital, the investment arm of one of the largest insurers in the world. Intact is not only our lead investor but also a carrier partner, a testament to the confidence the incumbent industry has in what we're building. Our investors:

• Intact Private Capital
• Spark Capital
• Costanoa Ventures
• Y Combinator
• Susa Ventures
• And several others

Our Team

We're a team of technologists and insurance enthusiasts, bridging the two worlds together. Check out our About page to learn more.

The Role

We're looking for a talented software engineer who's passionate about what we're building and ready to do the best work of their career. You thrive on ownership, drive results, and care deeply about both technical excellence and customer impact.

You will be the first Engineering team member in NYC, sitting and working closely with our underwriters and actuaries already in NYC.

You would be our dream candidate if...

• You aren't afraid of ambiguity, and it may even excite you
• You enjoy shipping product every day (maybe multiple times a day) while maintaining high quality standards
• You enjoy wearing multiple hats while solving problems; as an engineer, product manager, and designer
• You take end-to-end ownership of features and systems, from conception through release
• You care about the built-world and how to improve construction safety and productivity
• You care about others' growth and welcome mentoring other engineers — you've led or been a major contributor on significant projects
• You have strong opinions, weakly held — you advocate for your ideas but adapt when presented with better solutions
• You communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• You have some experience with insurance – either from a prior InsurTech role or actuarial role
• You have experience working with Javascript/Typescript (backend and/or frontend)
• You have at least 5+ years of working experience (preferably as a full-stack engineer) with a track record of delivering high-impact products

About the Role

Shepherd's platform consists of three primary elements: data collection, automated underwriting, and policy administration.

• You will lead major initiatives and own a large area of Shepherd's product experience, in each vertical while driving technical decisions for your domain
• You will work across the stack, even across different disciplines (e.g. underwriting, design, product management)
• You will play an integral role in building our culture as the company grows and mentor other engineers as we scale the team
• You will balance innovation with pragmatic delivery — staying current with emerging tech while shipping quality products
• You will contribute to product strategy and architectural decisions, not just implementation
• You will collaborate closely with PM, Mo (CTO) and the insurance team (underwriters, actuaries and more!)

Our Tech Stack

Frontend

• React & Next.js
• Typescript
• GraphQL w/ Apollo

Backend

• Node.js
• Postgres & Redis
• Typescript
• GraphQL APIs

Benefits

• Premium Healthcare
  100% contribution to top-tier health, dental, and vision
• Fertility benefits and family building support
• Unlimited PTO
  Flexibility to take the time off, recharge, and perform
• Daily lunches, dinners, and snacks
  We work together, and enjoy meals together too
• SF, NYC, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago and LA Offices
• Professional Development
  Access to premium coaching, including leadership development
• Competitive 401(k) Plan
• Dog-friendly office
  Plenty of dogs to play with and make friends with in the SF office