Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Grindr; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental & Vision Full premium coverage

Family Formation financial support

401(k) with 6% match

Industry-competitive compensation

Gender-Affirming Care

Flexible vacation policy

Monthly stipends for wellness and commuting

Job summary

Grindr is hiring a Backend Engineer for its Palo Alto office. This hybrid role involves working closely with a team of engineers on key features that support millions of users. Candidates should have 7+ years of experience in software engineering, particularly with backend systems, and a solid understanding of microservices architecture. Responsibilities include leading projects, mentoring team members, and optimizing backend services using modern tools like Redis, Postgres, and Kafka. Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience as a Software Engineer in Backend Systems.
• Experience with large-scale systems in a microservice-based architecture.
• Passion for software testing and systems.

Responsibilities

• Join a backend team working on key features supporting millions of users.
• Lead projects and coordinate with product and design teams.
• Design and develop Grindr's backend services.

Skills

Software Engineering

Backend Systems

Microservices Architecture

Cloud Services (AWS)

Concurrent Programming

JVM Languages (Java, Kotlin, Scala)

Tools

Redis

Postgres

Kafka

Job description

About The Team

Grindr is an AI-native platform powering how millions of gay people connect globally. With 15M+ monthly users, 130B+ annual messages, and a team of fewer than 200, we move fast, stay lean, and tackle technical problems at a scale few companies ever see.

About The Job

We’re looking for an experienced Backend Engineer who is passionate about building, testing, deploying, and working closely with the Product team to deliver new features. You will have the opportunity to solve challenging problems, work with the latest systems, collaborate with a kind and capable team, and contribute meaningfully.

This is a hybrid role based in our Palo Alto office and will require you to be in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Responsibilities

• You’ll join a backend team of 10+ engineers working on key features that support millions of active users daily.
• Leading projects and other engineers to implement new features and coordinate closely with the product and design teams
• Own the design and development of Grindr’s backend services in a stable and scalable microservices architecture
• Work with Product Managers, Designers, and other Engineers to refine feature design and functionality
• Optimize key pieces of Grindr's platform using tools like Redis, Postgres, and Kafka on AWS services
• Innovate by guiding data‑driven decisions to adopt new technologies, architectures, and workflow
• Maintain high availability of the Grindr platform by leveraging distributed systems and infrastructure engineering, while playing a key role in optimizations, cost reduction, and incident management.
• Help guide and mentor team members through pairing sessions, code reviews, and architecture reviews.

Role Requirements

• 7+ years of experience as a Software Engineer and contributing to Backend Systems (Service APIs, Data Processing, Messaging Services)
• Experience designing and implementing large‑scale systems for high load and data consistency in a microservice‑based architecture
• Experience designing systems that make heavy and efficient use of Cloud Service, AWS preferred.
• Passionate about testing software and systems
• Deep understanding of concurrency concepts and trade‑offs
• You love figuring things out and understanding how they work end‑to‑end
• Experience with the JVM and at least one JVM language such as Java, Kotlin, and Scala. Experience designing and product‑ionizing large‑scale distributed systems

You May Thrive In This Role If You

• Experience developing Production systems using Kotlin, Postgres and Kafka
• Experience in mentoring / skilling up less experienced developers

Benefits And Perks

• Health, Dental & Vision Full premium coverage for you. Partial coverage for dependents.
• Family Formation Up to $200,000 in fertility and family‑building support, covering IVF, surrogacy, egg freezing, and adoption.
• Retirement: 401(k) with 6% match and immediate vesting.
• Compensation: Industry‑competitive compensation, company bonus, and equity for every employee.
• Gender‑Affirming Care: Industry‑leading gender‑affirming offerings with up to 90% cost coverage, access to Included Health, monthly stipends for HRT, and more.
• Time Off & Rest Flexible vacation policy. Two company‑wide rest weeks per year.
• Other Benefits: Monthly stipends for cell phone, internet, wellness, food, and commuting, breakfast/lunch

Grindr is an equal‑opportunity employer.