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# Software Engineer

- **Company:** Kayak Software Corporation
- **Location:** United States
- **Salary:** $110,000.0 - $125,000.0
- **Contract:** Internship / Graduate position
- **Skills:** Java (Programming Language), Software Quality, Code Review, Data Integration, Software Debugging, Datadog, Technical Debt, Backend, Event Driven Architecture, Build Management
- **Published:** October 4, 2026
- **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/software-engineer-ads-backend-kayak-com-8614024

## About the Role

* Experience designing, building, and operating backend systems, gained through professional roles, internships, or substantial personal or academic projects
 * Working proficiency in Java or a comparable backend language
 * A foundational understanding of system design and debugging, and comfort working in distributed or multi-service environments
 * A collaborative working style: you communicate clearly, follow through on commitments, surface risks early, and ask good questions
 * Professional proficiency in written and spoken English
 * Curiosity and a willingness to learn new tools, systems, and approaches, and to challenge existing approaches with well-reasoned alternatives

You may also bring (not required - equivalent experience, training, or transferable skills considered):

 * Familiarity with ad tech systems, bidding logic, or monetization infrastructure
 * Experience with server-to-server data integrations or event-driven architectures
 * Experience working in an agile team environment with sprint-based delivery
 * Exposure to observability tooling, metrics, or production debugging workflows

A specific degree is not required. We welcome candidates from non-traditional educational backgrounds who demonstrate strong engineering fundamentals and a genuine eagerness to grow.

## Description

* Design and build backend features, from scoping through deployment and ongoing production support, with guidance from senior engineers and tech leads on more complex or ambiguous problems
 * Take part in technical design reviews and architecture discussions, asking good questions and contributing ideas
 * Write well-tested, readable, and maintainable code consistent with team quality standards; participate actively in code reviews, both giving and receiving feedback
 * Work with product managers and commercial partners to understand requirements and deliver reliable outcomes
 * Participate in on-call rotations: monitor system health, investigate production issues, and write clear bug tickets and documentation
 * Look for opportunities to improve system performance, reduce complexity, and pay down technical debt in aging codebases
 * Take part in sprint ceremonies - planning, refinement, retrospectives, and demos - and contribute ideas for improving team delivery
 * Use AI-assisted development tools responsibly to improve productivity, code quality, and delivery efficiency
 * Collaborate with engineers, data scientists, and business intelligence teams to deliver integrated solutions
 * Grow your skills through mentorship, pairing, and feedback from more senior engineers