Staff Software Engineer, Fullstack

PathAI; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

PathAI is seeking a Staff Software Engineer in Boston to lead AISight platform development. You’ll own critical architecture, drive technical strategy across teams, and remain hands-on on the most demanding code paths.

You will set engineering standards and collaborate with ML, infra, and regulatory teams to ensure reliability and data integrity. You will mentor engineers, influence product direction, and communicate complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders while navigating a regulated

Qualifications

• 8+ years in full lifecycle software development, with senior/lead experience.
• Track record of architecting and shipping large-scale production systems.
• Deep expertise in at least one area and working proficiency in the other (backend/frontend).
• Hands-on experience building and operating systems on a cloud platform (AWS preferred).
• Excellent communication and collaboration across distributed teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture of major platform areas and drive technical strategy aligned with the product roadmap.
• Lead design and delivery of cross-team initiatives from ambiguity to production.
• Remain hands-on, writing production code for critical components.
• Set and uphold engineering standards for code quality, testing, observability, security, and performance.
• Collaborate with product, design, ML, infra, QA, and regulatory teams to ensure compliant, reliable software.
• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers and shape hiring/onboarding.
• Represent engineering in discussions with customers, partners, and stakeholders.

Skills

8+ years experience

Architecting systems

Communication

Leadership

Education

BS in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

Python

Django or FastAPI

PostgreSQL

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

GitLab CI

Job description

Our team is passionate about solving big challenges in healthcare and transforming the field of pathology with artificial intelligence.

PathAI's mission is to improve patient outcomes with AI-powered pathology.

Our platform promises substantial improvements to the accuracy of diagnosis and the efficacy of treatment of diseases like cancer, leveraging modern approaches in machine learning and artificial intelligence. We have a track record of success in deploying AI algorithms for histopathology in translational research, pathology labs and clinical trials. Rigorous science and careful analysis are critical to the success of everything we do. Our team, composed of diverse employees with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, is passionate about solving challenging problems and making a huge impact on patient outcomes.

We believe in using the best tool for the job and are constantly evaluating our tech stack. Our current tools include:

• Python
• Vue.js
• Docker

The Opportunity

We're looking for a Staff Software Engineer to be a technical leader on the team building AISight, our digital pathology platform used by pathologists and labs worldwide. This is a fullstack role, but we don't expect equal depth everywhere. We want someone with deep expertise in either frontend or backend who works comfortably across the whole stack. You will set technical direction for the platform, take on our hardest cross-cutting problems, and raise the bar for the engineers around you.

• You will own the architecture of major areas of the platform and drive technical strategy in line with the product roadmap, balancing near-term delivery against long-term scalability and maintainability.
• You will lead the design and delivery of complex, multi-team initiatives from ambiguous problem definition through production. That means writing and reviewing technical designs, finding risks early, and making tradeoffs explicit.
• You will stay hands‑on, writing production code on the most critical and technically demanding parts of the system.
• You will set and uphold engineering standards for code quality, testing, observability, security and performance across codebases, and drive improvements to our development practices and tooling.
• You will work with product, design, machine learning, infrastructure, QA and regulatory teams to make sure the software we ship is reliable, protects data integrity and patient data, and meets the requirements of a regulated medical device environment, including design controls and validation.
• You will mentor senior and mid‑level engineers, grow technical leadership on the team, and help shape how we hire and onboard.
• You will represent engineering in conversations with customers, partners and stakeholders, explaining complex technical concepts to non‑experts.

Who You Are (Required)

• You have a BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a closely related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• You have 8+ years of full lifecycle software development experience, including significant time in a senior or technical lead role.
• You have a track record of architecting and shipping large‑scale production systems, and of leading technical initiatives across team boundaries.
• You have deep expertise in at least one of these areas, and working proficiency in the other:
• Backend: designing and building Python-based applications and APIs (Django or FastAPI), data modeling, relational databases (PostgreSQL) and distributed or event‑driven systems.
• You have a strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and system design.
• You have hands‑on experience building and operating systems on a cloud platform (AWS preferred).
• You influence technical decisions through clear writing, sound judgment and collaboration, not authority.
• You have excellent communication skills and can work effectively with a distributed team and with non‑technical stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience building software in a regulated environment (e.g., FDA, IEC 62304, ISO 13485, HIPAA, CE‑IVDR) or in healthtech.
• Experience with medical imaging, digital pathology, or large image and data visualization (e.g., whole‑slide image viewers, WebGL or canvas rendering).
• Hands‑on experience with CI/CD tooling (e.g., GitLab CI).
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience with an infrastructure‑as‑code framework (e.g., Terraform, CDK).
• Experience integrating ML models or AI‑powered features into production applications.

This is a hybrid position based in Boston, MA. Relocation benefits are not available for this position.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location Boston, MA is $146,250 – $224,250. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job‑related factors permitted by law.

PathAI is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.