Staff Software Engineer, Platform Backend

ZORA; United States; Remote; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking an experienced senior backend engineer to design and implement scalable backend systems. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance the ZORA API and indexing services, ensuring high-quality product delivery. Candidates should have a strong background in Python, blockchain technologies, and API design. The firm offers a dynamic work environment with a commitment to equity and employee growth, making it an exciting opportunity for those passionate about technology and creativity.

Benefits

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Flexible Time-off Policy

New Macbook Pro

Equity

Qualifications

• 8+ years of backend engineering experience, ideally in platform roles.
• Strong expertise in Python and asynchronous programming.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable backend platforms for product teams.
• Drive architectural decisions for APIs and indexing infrastructure.

Skills

Python

Asynchronous Programming

GraphQL APIs

Blockchain Indexing

Database Management (Redis, MongoDB, Postgres)

Mentorship

Cross-Team Collaboration

Tools

Temporal

Ethereum RPCs

Job description

Remote

About Us

Zora is a new kind of on-chain social network where you can express yourself freely, connect with others, and discover the value of your imagination. We believe that by using crypto, we can enable a more equitable system for creators, fundamentally rediscovering the power of the internet.

We’re working tirelessly to make Zora available to as many people as possible with a simple, fun, and rewarding consumer app. Our mission is to make creating on the internet free and valuable.

Who we're looking for

ZORA is looking for an experienced senior / staff backend engineer to help design, implement, and extend the ZORA API and indexing services.

What You’ll Do

• Design and develop scalable backend platforms and foundational frameworks that enable product teams to ship quickly and reliably.
• Drive architectural decisions and long-term planning for Zora’s core backend systems, particularly APIs and indexing infrastructure.
• Collaborate with cross-functional platform teams (frontend, backend, infrastructure) to define KPIs, align on priorities, and evolve the engineering roadmap.
• Partner closely with product engineering teams to surface platform gaps and lead the development of high-leverage, reusable solutions.
• Mentor engineers across teams, sharing platform knowledge and raising the technical bar through code reviews, documentation, and pairing.
• Strong expertise in Python, particularly with asynchronous programming (asyncio).
• Deep understanding of Ethereum RPCs, smart contract interactions, and blockchain indexing patterns.
• Solid experience designing and implementing GraphQL APIs.
• Hands-on experience with Temporal or similar workflow orchestration systems.
• Practical experience working with databases such as Redis, MongoDB, and Postgres.
• Proven ability to take ownership of complex systems and drive projects from concept to production.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a focus on cross-team alignment and support.
• Demonstrated mentorship skills and a commitment to helping teammates grow.

Nice to Have

• 8+ years of backend engineering experience, ideally with time spent in platform or infrastructure-facing roles.
• Background in Web3 or crypto, with familiarity in indexing blockchain data or interacting with EVM-compatible networks.
• Experience operating at scale, including building high-throughput, low-latency APIs and systems with strong consistency requirements.
• Familiarity with authentication and identity tools (e.g. Privy) and infrastructure/DevOps workflows.
• Broader engineering experience across frontend or infrastructure domains is a plus.

ZORA provides top quality medical, dental, and vision insurance, with a flexible time-off policy and a new Macbook Pro for full-time employees. Employees also receive equity.

Location

ZORA is international. Our headquarters are the internet and we have employees all over the world. We’re currently in Atlanta, Berlin, Lisbon, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Sydney, and Vancouver.

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