Staff Software Engineer - Platform

Tenkara Labs, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision after probation

Unlimited PTO

Meaningful equity

Job summary

A tech startup focused on autonomous manufacturing is seeking a backend software engineer to build the infrastructure for AI-driven processes. Responsibilities include designing scalable backend services, developing LLM-based agents, and managing complex data layers. Candidates should possess deep experience in backend systems, proficiency in TypeScript and Python, and expertise in PostgreSQL. This role offers a competitive salary of $170,000 to $220,000 annually, significant equity, and benefits, including unlimited PTO.

Qualifications

• Deep software engineering experience with a focus on backend/infrastructure systems.
• Mastery of TypeScript and experience with Node.js services.
• Proficiency in Python for data processing and ML pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Design and scale backend services for high-throughput order processing.
• Build AI-powered agents and infrastructure for intelligent quote analysis.
• Own the data layer and design complex database schemas.

Skills

Backend infrastructure systems experience

TypeScript

Python

PostgreSQL expertise

AI/ML experience

DevOps fundamentals

Job description

At Tenkara, we're building an operating system for process manufacturers, starting with AI agents that run procurement, logistics, and demand planning.

American manufacturing has never had a greater opportunity to reclaim global competitiveness. But operations teams are underwater, drowning in manual coordination work. Suppliers managed over email. Freight tracked through calls. Compliance scattered across spreadsheets. Mid-market manufacturers can't scale operations without scaling headcount proportionally.

Tenkara deploys AI agents that execute these workflows autonomously, bringing cutting-edge AI into the economy's most critical sectors. Our agents enable businesses to make smarter decisions and faster transactions.

Culture

Build the absolute best product, bar nothing. Move fast and learn by shipping. Meritocracy where ideas win on merit. Extreme ownership. Steep trajectory for those who prove themselves. What we're building matters: helping American manufacturers compete globally.

We're backed by some of the very best supply chain and enterprise software investors. We're live with manufacturers processing real transactions right now. Founded by a serial entrepreneur who built and ran manufacturing plants from the ground up.

About the Role

You'll build the infrastructure for autonomous manufacturing operations. AI agents coordinating complex workflows in parallel. Transaction processing that can't fail when real money is moving. Data pipelines that extract intelligence from unstructured supplier documents and emails. Integrations to ERPs and freight systems where APIs barely work or don't exist. You'll stitch together the software layer for how physical goods actually move.

What You'll Take On

• • Design and scale backend services: Architect Next.js API routes, background jobs, and serverless functions that handle high-throughput order processing.
• • Build AI-powered agents: Develop and productionize LLM-based agents, AI/ML infrastructure, and RAG patterns for intelligent quote analysis and supplier recommendations.
• • Own the data layer: Design Supabase/PostgreSQL schemas, migrations, and complex queries for materials, quotes, orders, and supplier relationships.
• • Architect event-driven systems: Build reliable pipelines for order state management, notification triggers, and cross-system synchronization.
• • Implement caching and rate limiting: Design strategies for external API calls to ensure reliability at scale.
• • Drive platform reliability: Establish monitoring, alerting, and observability patterns; own incident response for backend systems.

What You Have

• • Very deep software engineering experience with a strong focus on backend/infrastructure systems.
• • TypeScript mastery: Extensive experience building type-safe Node.js services and API layers.
• • Python proficiency: Ability to build and integrate Python services for data processing and ML pipelines.
• • Database expertise: Deep PostgreSQL knowledge including schema design, query optimization, and migration strategies.
• • AI/ML engineering experience: Production experience with LLMs, embeddings, vector databases, and RAG architectures.
• • Systems thinking: Experience designing for reliability, scalability, and graceful degradation.
• • Comfortable with DevOps fundamentals: CI/CD, containerization, cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred).
• • API design skills: Strong understanding of RESTful patterns, authentication flows, and third-party integrations.
• • Supply chain or logistics domain experience is a plus.

What We Offer

• • $170,000 - $220,000 annually + meaningful equity (you are one of the first 5 technical hires).
• • Health, dental, vision following probationary period. Unlimited PTO.
• • Hard, important problems. Foundational ownership. Direct collaboration with experienced, well-backed founders. Meaningful equity in a company with strong tailwinds.