Skip to content
ClayClayNew York, NY

Software Engineer, Backend

Backend Software Engineer on the Performance team, focused on diagnosing bottlenecks, improving API and database performance, and building observability for reliable, scalable core systems. Requires experience with large-scale systems, query and schema optimization, and technologies such as Postgres, Redis, and AWS.

130k – 300k/yr
HybridBackend Engineering

About the role

Responsibilities

  • Analyze systems comprehensively to identify and address performance bottlenecks.
  • Create and monitor meaningful performance metrics for service components.
  • Advise engineering teams on scalable, performant feature design and implementation.
  • Address scalability challenges, including sharding Postgres and Redis, splitting ECS tasks into independently scalable services, and resolving Node event loop blockages.

Requirements

  • Results-oriented mindset with a bias toward impact.
  • Experience optimizing API latency.
  • Experience with SQL and related technologies, preferably Postgres.
  • Experience in a role focused on performance.
  • Experience optimizing queries and designing schemas for relational databases and distributed search engines.
  • Expertise with Redis, Postgres, Elasticsearch, or OpenSearch.

Nice to Have

  • Experience working with systems and data at scale, such as large-scale data pipelines, event ingestion systems, or production systems.
  • Advanced proficiency optimizing serverless workloads on AWS.
  • Experience with React, TypeScript, Python, AWS Aurora (Postgres), ElastiCache (Redis), ECR, ECS (Fargate), Lambda, OpenSearch, Terraform, CircleCI, Netlify, Playwright, CloudWatch, Datadog, and Mezmo.

Benefits

  • Free access to world-class coaches specializing in creativity, management, and related areas.

Skills

SQLPostgresRedisopensearchElasticsearchAWSReactTypeScriptPythonTerraformamazon ecsAWS LambdaDatadogamazon cloudwatchCircleCI

Similar roles

Backend Engineering jobs
Mercor

Software Engineer, Marketplace

MercorSan Francisco, CA

Software Engineer building core backend systems for a high-volume AI talent marketplace, including matching, allocation, search, and real-time decisioning infrastructure. Requires strong production backend experience with high-throughput APIs and distributed systems.

130k – 500k/yrOn-siteBackend Engineering
Mercor

Software Engineer, Platform

MercorSan Francisco, CA +1

Builds secure, scalable backend systems for contracts, payouts, fraud detection, and identity/access management on Mercor's AI platform. Requires 4+ years experience with production systems at scale and strong ownership.

130k – 500k/yrOn-site4+ YOEBackend Engineering
Pylon

Backend Engineer, API

PylonPalo Alto, CA +1

Builds and maintains a production GraphQL API modeling complex, nonlinear mortgage processes. Designs event-driven systems, semantic models, and developer-friendly abstractions using TypeScript, NestJS, and Temporal.io.

130k – 220k/yrHybridBackend Engineering
Pylon

Backend Engineer, Underwriting

PylonPalo Alto, CA +1

Builds backend systems to automate mortgage underwriting by encoding regulatory rules into precise, AI-enhanced code. Collaborates with experts using TypeScript, NestJS, GraphQL, and custom DSLs for high-stakes lending decisions.

130k – 220k/yrHybridBackend Engineering
Mercor

Backend Engineer, Marketplace

MercorSan Francisco, CA +1

Builds backend systems for marketplace matching, search, allocation, and workflows using Python/Go. Requires experience with reliable high-throughput APIs, distributed systems, and data modeling to optimize fill rates and performance.

130k – 500k/yrOn-siteBackend Engineering