Senior Software Engineer

We’re representing our client in a search for a senior backend engineer to join as a hands-on IC in an early-stage environment - shipping production services, driving key architectural decisions, and mentoring junior engineers, with a clear runway to a lead role in the near term. What you’ll be doing

• Design, build, and operate production-grade backend services and data pipelines on a Python + AWS serverless stack
• Make architectural and system-design decisions, using modern AI coding tools to move quickly
• Own features end-to-end across a primarily backend codebase, with occasional front-end work in React
• Work directly with customers to turn ambiguous requirements into shipped software
• Mentor junior engineers through code review, design discussions, and pairing

Tech stack: Python, AWS (Lambda, Step Functions, serverless), REST APIs, microservices, event-driven architecture, React

• 5+ years in backend software engineering
• Experience as a founding engineer or early hire at an early-stage B2B SaaS startup, with genuine end-to-end ownership
• A track record of owning production backend systems, not just contributing to them
• Advanced, production-level Python skills
• Strong hands-on AWS experience, particularly serverless (Lambda, Step Functions)
• A product mindset and comfort speaking directly with customers to clarify what needs building
• Based in or near New York City and able to work on-site three days a week (Midtown)
• A BS in Computer Science or a related STEM field, or an equivalently strong startup engineering track record in its place

Nice to Haves

• Prior tech-lead or mentorship experience guiding junior engineers
• Familiarity with AI coding tools and agentic development workflows

• Build the core platform for a large industry that modern software has barely reached
• Small, well-backed, AI-native team where engineers own product and architecture outright
• Senior IC role with a clear near-term path to a lead position
• Competitive base plus meaningful early-stage equity

Our client is a seed-stage, venture-backed AI startup bringing modern software to a large, traditionally underserved industry - building a fully managed platform that ingests, organizes, and analyzes complex documents and data so its customers can make faster, better-informed decisions. They run a lean, AI-native engineering team where individual engineers carry real ownership over both product and architecture. Founded 2020 · ~20 people · Industry: AI / Enterprise Software.