# Senior Backend Engineer

**Company:** [Scribe](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/scribe)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $175k – $200k/yr
**Experience:** 5+ years
**Skills:** Python, Django, Postgres, Redis, Celery, Amazonmq, Terraform, AWS, Automated Testing, Database Optimization
**Posted:** 2026-01-21

> Senior Backend Engineer builds and optimizes backend features in Django monolith for core document workflows, improves performance/reliability, and collaborates cross-functionally. Requires 5+ years backend experience, Python expertise, and engineering best practices.

## Job Description

## About this role

We're looking for a **Senior Backend Engineer** to join our **Core Engineering Team**, which powers essential experiences at Scribe: document viewing and editing, embedding and exporting content, and supporting key integrations. Millions of users rely on these workflows every day.

In this role, you’ll take ownership of impactful projects — from evolving critical document features to building new greenfield systems — and collaborate across the stack to deliver high-quality product experiences.

## What you’ll do
- Build and ship backend features in our Django monolith, spanning core document workflows (viewing, editing, embeds, exports) as well as new greenfield projects that expand what Scribe can do
- Improve performance and reliability by optimizing database queries, endpoints, and caching layers across critical user workflows
- Collaborate with product managers, designers, and frontend engineers to deliver intuitive and reliable experiences at scale
- Contribute to technical discussions within the team, balancing short-term delivery with longer-term architectural evolution
- Uphold strong engineering practices through thoughtful code reviews, solid test coverage, and attention to observability and performance

## What we’re looking for
- You have 5+ 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
$175,000 - $200,000 base + Equity + Benefits.

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