Founding Backend Software Engineer

2 days ago


San Francisco, California, United States SignalFire Full time

Join SignalFire's Talent Network for Founding Back-end Software Engineer Roles at VC-Backed Startups
At
SignalFire
, we partner with
top early-stage startups
that are shaping the future of technology. Our portfolio spans 200+ innovative companies across AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech, developer tools, and enterprise SaaS.

We're looking to connect with exceptional
Backend Engineers
who are excited about joining high-growth startups as
founding team members.
By joining SignalFire's Talent Network, your profile will be shared with our portfolio companies, giving you visibility into
exclusive early-stage opportunities
that may not be publicly listed.

This is not an application for a specific job. Instead, this is a way to get on the radar of VC-backed startups that are actively hiring AI/ML talent. If you have any questions, please direct inquiries to

Who Should Join?
We're looking for engineers who are:

Passionate about
backend architecture and scalable distributed systems
Excited about joining early-stage startups and working directly with founders

Interested in
building APIs, microservices, and cloud infrastructure
Typical Roles & Responsibilities

  • Design, build, and maintain backend systems with a focus on scalability and performance
  • Develop high-performance APIs, microservices, and cloud-based architectures
  • Optimize databases and data pipelines for reliability and efficiency
  • Collaborate with founders to define technical strategy and align it with business goals
  • Ensure backend infrastructure is secure, fault-tolerant, and cost-efficient
  • Establish best practices for software development, DevOps, and infrastructure management

Common Qualifications
While each startup has its own hiring criteria, many
founding backend engineering
roles in our network look for:

  • 3+ years of experience as a backend engineer, with a proven track record of shipping production systems
  • Expertise in backend frameworks , Django, Flask, Ruby on Rails, FastAPI, Spring Boot)
  • Strong understanding of databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis) and data modeling
  • Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Proficiency in backend programming languages such as Python, Go, Java, , or Ruby
  • Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code tools
  • Experience in early-stage startups or lean teams is a plus


Technologies You Might Work With:

  • Languages & Frameworks: Python, Golang, Java, JavaScript ), Ruby, Django, Flask, FastAPI, Ruby on Rails, Spring Boot
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis
  • Cloud & DevOps: AWS (Lambda, EC2, S3, RDS), GCP (Cloud Run, Firestore), Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub Actions
  • Other Tools: REST APIs, GraphQL, WebSockets, Kafka, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch

What Happens Next?

  • Submit your application to join SignalFire's Talent Ecosystem.
  • We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.
  • If there's a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.
  • No match yet? We'll keep your profile on file for future backend engineering roles in our portfolio.

Compensation Range: $170K - $250K



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