Staff Backend Engineer
Staff Backend Engineer owns technical architecture for IPC services, builds and operates backend systems using Python, Go, and Java on Kubernetes in GCP, leads cross-team initiatives, ensures reliability, and mentors engineers while using AI coding tools.
About the job
Responsibilities
- Own the technical architecture for IPC services, making design decisions that balance speed of delivery with long-term maintainability
- Design, build, and operate backend services using Python + PostgreSQL, Go, and a Java-based Drools rules engine
- Lead cross-team technical initiatives — coordinate with other Bestow engineering teams to plan and execute integration work across the platform
- Drive platform capabilities that scale with Bestow's growing partner ecosystem — new carrier onboardings, product launches, and configuration flexibility
- Mentor engineers on the team through code review, design review, and pairing — raise the technical bar without bottlenecking delivery
- Ensure production reliability: define SLOs, improve observability, and share on-call responsibility for IPC workloads
- Use agentic AI coding tools as a core part of your workflow and help the team adopt effective AI-assisted development practices
- Communicate technical decisions, trade-offs, and status clearly in writing
Requirements
- 8+ years of professional backend software development experience; you've operated at the Staff or Senior level before
- Strong proficiency in Go and Python; Java experience is a plus
- Deep experience with distributed systems, microservices, and API design (Protocol Buffers, OpenAPI)
- Comfortable with PostgreSQL or other relational databases at scale
- Hands-on with cloud infrastructure — Kubernetes, Docker, GCP (or equivalent)
- Proven track record building, deploying, and troubleshooting production services end-to-end
- You seek out problems before they find you — proactively identifying risks, proposing solutions, and driving them to completion
- You write maintainable, well-tested software and hold yourself and your peers to a high quality bar
- Demonstrated experience with agentic AI coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot) integrated into your daily workflow — not occasional use, but a deliberate practice
Total Rewards
- Competitive salary and equity based on role
- Policies and managers that support work/life balance, like our flexible paid time off and parental leave programs
- 100% paid-premium option for medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Lifestyle stipend to support your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing
- Flexible work-from-home policy and open to remote
Skills
Go, Python, Java, Postgres, Kubernetes, Docker, GCP, gRPC, Rest, Protocol Buffers, Openapi, Drools, Distributed Systems, Microservices
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