Backend Engineer

Job Title: Founding Backend Engineer – Infrastructure for Social Impact San Francisco, CA

Summary:

This isn’t just about hiring a builder — it’s about recruiting an engineer ready to co-architect a platform that enables trust, action, and generosity at scale.

As the Founding Backend Engineer, you’ll design and scale the systems behind a new social impact platform — one engineered to support donors, nonprofits, and volunteers around the globe. You’ll work directly with mission-driven founders, influence key architectural decisions, and help define how this system evolves for years to come.

This is a rare opportunity to lead from the ground up on a product with real-world impact — blending purpose, scale, and deep technical challenge.

Responsibilities:

Architect, build, and maintain the core backend systems powering a trust-based giving platform

Make key decisions on infrastructure, backend frameworks, data flow, and service architecture

Design and implement secure, scalable APIs and data pipelines for various user types

Prioritize data privacy, platform reliability, and compliance with regulatory standards

Own CI/CD implementation, system observability, and DevOps readiness for fast iteration

Collaborate with product, design, and founding team to launch features and ship meaningfully

Help establish engineering culture, coding standards, and scalable documentation practices

Requirements:

4+ years of experience building backend systems (startup or 0?1 experience preferred)

Strong command of one or more backend languages (Go, Python, Node.js, Java)

Deep understanding of system architecture, API design, and data modeling (SQL or NoSQL)

Hands-on experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure; Docker and Kubernetes; and microservices design

Commitment to clean, secure, and scalable code

Effective communicator and natural collaborator — thrives in a fast-paced mission-driven team

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience as a founding engineer or early-stage technical lead

Familiarity with donor platforms, CRM, or nonprofit tech systems

Understanding of compliance standards such as PCI, SOC2, or KYC

Background in event-driven architecture or distributed systems

Leadership experience — technical mentorship or team-building a plus

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field preferred — or equivalent experience

Location:

San Francisco, CA

Salary Range:

$170,000 – $200,000 base + early-stage equity (DOE)