# Staff Backend Engineer, Core

**Company:** [Scribe](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/scribe)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $205k – $235k/yr
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** Python, Django, Postgres, Redis, Celery, Amazonmq, Terraform, AWS, Django Monolith, Automated Testing
**Posted:** 2026-01-21

> Staff Backend Engineer leads development of core features in Django monolith, optimizes performance and scalability for user workflows like Scribe viewing/editing, and mentors team. Requires 8+ years backend experience with Python, database optimization, and engineering best practices.

## Job Description

## About this role

We're looking for an experienced backend engineer to join our Core Engineering team. This team owns essential user experiences in Scribe — including viewing and editing Scribes, managing Pages, Embeds, Exports, and supporting key Integrations. Your work will impact how users create, share, and consume documentation.

## You can expect to
- Lead development of new features in our Django monolith, focusing on the core experience of viewing and editing Scribes — including pages, embeds, exports, and related integrations
- Optimize database queries, endpoints, and caching layers to improve performance and scalability across critical user workflows
- Collaborate with product and design to deliver intuitive, reliable editing and rendering experiences at scale
- Make architectural decisions about when to extend the monolith and when to invest in service extraction for high-scale systems
- Set a high bar for engineering excellence through code reviews, mentorship, and best practices in testing, observability, and performance

## You could be a great fit if
- You have 8+ years of experience building backend applications at high scale and availability
- You have extensive experience with Python
- You know how to optimize endpoint performance and database queries
- You're a strong advocate for automated testing
- You've seen and can implement engineering best practices
- You're user-centric, empathetic, and passionate about your work

## Bonus
- Experience with Django (not required, but a big plus)
- Startup experience (not required, but we build and move fast!)

## Our backend tech stack
- Python + Django
- PostgreSQL
- Redis
- Celery + AmazonMQ
- Infrastructure in Terraform (AWS)

## Compensation
$205-$235k base + equity

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**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/77b213c6-1362-46d2-9577-2e11aa00b0bc