Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Gradial; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-based bonus

Equity awards

Medical, dental & vision

401k plan

Unlimited PTO

Seattle office amenities

Free lunch

AI infrastructure focus

Job summary

Gradial is building AI-native content operations software that helps marketers move from idea to execution faster. As Staff Software Engineer, Backend, you will own critical systems from problem definition to production, writing production code and guiding architecture.

You’ll lead large, complex backend projects, design scalable distributed systems, and mentor peers while collaborating with product and design to deliver reliable AI-driven workflows.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience in backend systems.
• Ability to lead large, technically complex projects.
• Deep expertise in software architecture and distributed systems.
• Experience taking products 0→1 with incomplete information.
• Strong communication and ownership across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead large, complex technical projects from ambiguous problem definition through architecture, implementation and production.
• Architect and build backend systems powering AI-driven workflows, including real-time inference and orchestration.
• Drive technical direction for scalable, reliable, performant systems with long-term maintainability.
• Turn loosely defined product problems into clear plans and drive execution.
• Build new systems from 0→1 while evolving existing architecture as the product scales.
• Establish patterns and abstractions to simplify complex systems and empower the team.
• Partner with product and design to shape solutions and tradeoffs.
• Raise engineering bar through leadership, code reviews and mentorship while remaining hands-on.
• Own systems end-to-end including testing, deployment, observability, and operation in production.

Skills

Distributed systems

Backend development

Architecture leadership

Production systems

Problem solving

Mentorship

Code reviews

Cross-functional collaboration

Real-time inference

Observability

Tools

TypeScript

Job description

Gradial is the marketing operations system of work that helps marketers and creatives move from idea to execution faster. Our platform orchestrates across martech stacks, workflows, and people to automate marketing execution, cutting execution time, so marketers focus on the work only humans can do: shaping brands, understanding customers, and creating the work that moves people.Backed by leading investors, we're building software that adapts to the user, not the other way around. We move with urgency, operate with ownership, and solve hard problems from first principles. If you want to do ambitious work, take real responsibility, and help define the future of AI-native content operations, you'll do your best work here.

The Role

Gradial is looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend to take on some of the largest, most complex and ambiguous technical problems across our product. You'll own critical systems from loosely defined problem through architecture and production, building the backend foundations that enable Gradial to deliver increasingly powerful AI-driven workflows. This is a highly hands-on IC role. You'll write production code, make consequential architectural decisions and create clarity where the path forward is not obvious. You'll work closely with engineering, product and design to turn ambitious ideas into reliable systems while raising the technical bar across the engineering team.

What You’ll Own

• Lead large, complex technical projects from ambiguous problem definition through architecture, implementation and production
• Architect and build backend systems that power AI-driven workflows, including real-time inference, tool orchestration and long-running processes
• Drive technical direction for critical systems with a focus on scalability, reliability, performance and long-term maintainability
• Turn loosely defined product and technical problems into clear plans, making pragmatic decisions and driving execution without requiring a predefined path
• Build new systems from 0→1 while evolving existing architecture as our product, customers and engineering organization scale
• Establish patterns and abstractions that simplify complex systems and make the broader engineering team more effective
• Partner closely with product and design to shape solutions, identify technical opportunities and make thoughtful tradeoffs
• Raise the engineering bar through technical leadership, architecture, code reviews and mentorship while remaining deeply involved in implementation
• Own systems end to end, including testing, deployment, observability, reliability and ongoing operation in production

What We Need

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with significant experience building and operating backend systems
• Proven ability to independently lead large, technically complex projects in fast-moving or ambiguous environments
• Deep technical expertise in software architecture, distributed systems, algorithms and system design
• Track record of taking products or systems from 0→1 and making sound architectural decisions with incomplete information
• Ability to break down vague, high-variance problems into clear technical approaches and drive them through execution
• Strong product judgment and the ability to balance technical quality, speed and customer impact
• Experience designing systems for scalability, reliability, performance and maintainability in production
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence technical decisions and align engineers and cross-functional partners
• High ownership mindset with a willingness to work across boundaries and own both the problem and the solution

Nice to Have

• Experience building products or infrastructure involving AI/ML systems, LLMs or agentic workflows
• Experience in high-growth or early-stage startups where technical scope and priorities change quickly
• Proficiency with TypeScript or similar languages

The salary range for this position is $180,000 - $240,000 annually . Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, and qualifications.

What we offer

• Performance-based annual bonus
• Meaningful equity awards
• Medical, dental & vision (fully covered for employees with 75% for dependents)
• Fertility & family-planning support
• 401k plan
• Unlimited PTO
• A beautiful Seattle office with a gym, sauna, and bike parking
• Free lunch three days a week in our HQ
• A front-row seat to building category-defining AI infrastructure

You’ll thrive here if

• Learn quickly, actively seek out new challenges, and regularly reconsider "how it's always been done."
• Want to have real impact with zero bureaucracy.
• Have an innate drive for being 1% better than the day before, building towards greatness.
• Embrace AI as a core tool for problem-solving, innovation, and scale.
• Show customer-obsession (internal or external), high ownership/accountability, and bias for action.
• Communicate clearly, directly, with curiosity, and assuming good intentions.
• Thrive in fast-paced, hyper-growth environments where building better > maintaining status quo.

AI Literacy & Interviewing Tools

As an AI-first company, we prioritize AI literacy as a core competency in our hiring decisions. We're excited by candidates who thoughtfully apply AI tools in their work, but during interviews we're focused on you. This is your opportunity to show how you think, communicate, and solve problems. Over-reliance on AI-generated responses during the interview process (especially when it obscures your own voice) will result in disqualification. We want to understand your unique perspective and how you approach challenges, both with and without AI.

Gradial is dedicated to creating an environment where diverse perspectives are valued and all team members can grow. We offer competitive compensation, equity, flexible work hours, comprehensive benefits, and a collaborative culture focused on learning and impact.