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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Backend-Leaning Product Engineer - **Company:** CLERA, LLC - **Location:** San Francisco, CA, United States - **Salary:** $275,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Software Debugging, DevOps, Python (Programming Language), Systems Integration, Delivery Pipeline, Large Language Models, Backend, Front End Software Development, Legacy Systems, Web Api - **Published:** July 23, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=b5ba00d623df273e ## About the Role * Backend-focused engineering experience with the ability to design, implement, and ship customer-facing features end-to-end. * Track record of shipping real products - ideally in 0-to-1 or ambiguous/messy environments. * Experience owning the full lifecycle of customer-facing features: ideation, implementation, and feedback loops. * Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills. * Must be legally eligible to work in the US without employer sponsorship. * Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate - this role is hybrid/in-office in SF. Nice to Have: * Applied AI or workflow/orchestration experience (agentic workflows, RAG, LLM-enabled features). * Systems integration experience with external APIs and third-party services. * Python experience; modern web/backend stacks are acceptable - engineering quality matters more than stack fit. * Background as a founding engineer, early startup generalist, or product/backend engineer at a scaling startup. Not a fit: Frontend-only, data-only/internal-tools-only, pure DevOps/SRE without product ownership, pure research/ML without shipping experience, or candidates primarily motivated by corporate titles. ## Description We're a small, high-ownership product team building real-world AI and automation products. As a Backend-Leaning Product Engineer, you'll own customer-facing features end-to-end - from design through shipping and iteration. You'll navigate messy integrations, legacy systems, and third-party services, and you'll make product and engineering trade-offs with speed and strong judgment. This is an early-stage environment where your work has direct, visible impact. We're looking for someone who thrives with minimal structure, works closely with founders and customers, and is genuinely excited about building 0-to-1 products in a fast-moving hybrid SF setting. What You'll Do * Own features end-to-end - from design and implementation through shipping and iteration. * Make product and engineering decisions independently, without heavy PM oversight. * Build and maintain backend systems, APIs, data models, and automation pipelines. * Integrate with external tools, legacy systems, and messy third-party services. * Design workflows and orchestration for AI/automation-driven products. * Debug production issues and apply strong engineering judgment under pressure. * Balance full-stack work when required, with a clear emphasis on backend ownership. * Collaborate closely with founders, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders. ## Related Videos - [Shipping Faster with Less: Render on Cloud Hosting, AI Workloads, and the Future of DevOps](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1894-shipping-faster-with-less-render-on-cloud-hosting-ai-workloads-and-the-future-of-devops) - [Web APIs you might not know about](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/281-web-apis-you-might-not-know-about) - [Developing the Backend with Stefan Lingler, CTO at Shpock](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100360-developing-the-backend-with-stefan-lingler-cto-at-shpock) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [Project Fugu: Extending the web](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/832-project-fugu-extending-the-web) - [Nest.js - TypeScript in the backend can also be clean](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1033-nest-js-typescript-in-the-backend-can-also-be-clean) ## Related Articles - [Fully Remote Software Engineer Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/447-fully-remote-software-engineer-jobs) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer) - [Dev Digest 120 - Apple and peers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/455-dev-digest-120-apple-and-peers) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [Find a Developer Job: 12 Best Job Sites For Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/165-find-a-developer-job-12-best-job-sites-for-developers)