About the job
Senior Backend Software Engineer
Department: Engineering | Location: Palo Alto HQ | Type: Full-time, On-site
About the Role
At Pika, we are seeking a talented Senior Backend Software Engineer to play a pivotal role in enhancing our core infrastructure that supports our innovative products. You will be instrumental in the design and development of robust, scalable backend systems, overseeing everything from API design and service architecture to real-time messaging infrastructures and platform integrations. This is a high-stakes position where your decisions will directly influence the experiences of millions of users interacting with Pika.
In this senior position, you will also elevate the team’s capabilities through architecture guidance, comprehensive code reviews, and mentoring opportunities for junior engineers.
What You'll Do
• Design and develop scalable backend services that drive Pika's web, mobile, and multi-platform offerings.
• Manage backend logic from end-to-end, including database modeling, API design, infrastructure decisions, and ensuring production reliability.
• Create and implement real-time systems, including WebSocket connections, event-driven architectures, and messaging queues for low-latency communication.
• Optimize infrastructure to enhance throughput, reduce latency, and ensure reliability as Pika continues to grow.
• Enhance internal tooling and automate operational processes to streamline team workflows.
• Lead technical decisions by drafting RFCs, assessing trade-offs, and building consensus within the engineering team.
• Mentor and guide engineers through code reviews, architectural advice, and collaborative programming sessions.
• Troubleshoot, optimize, and future-proof systems to handle increased scale.
What We're Looking For
• A minimum of 5 years of backend engineering experience, specifically in building production services at scale.
• Expertise in modern backend technologies (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.) and frameworks (Express, FastAPI, etc.).
• A solid understanding of distributed systems, including event-driven architectures, message queues, and service-to-service communication.
• Profound knowledge of database design and operations (SQL, NoSQL, data modeling, performance tuning).
• Familiarity with APIs, cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP), Kubernetes, and CI/CD workflows.
• Experience in building real-time systems using WebSockets, long-polling, and pub/sub patterns.
• Excellent debugging and observability skills; you can trace problems across services efficiently.
• A proactive ownership mentality — you identify issues and implement solutions without waiting for specifications.
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
Nice to Have
• Experience with AI/LLM integration (model orchestration, token management, prompt routing).
• Familiarity with multi-tenant SaaS platforms or multi-platform products.
• Experience building internal tools or automation pipelines.
• Previous experience in a startup environment, comfortable with ambiguity and rapid movement.

