Software Engineer, Backend (Palo Alto)

About the RoleWe are looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale the backend infrastructure that powers Pika’s user-facing products. In this high-impact role, you’ll own the design and delivery of robust, scalable backend systems, APIs, and infrastructure that support real-time collaboration, AI-powered workflows, and seamless product experiences.As a staff-level engineer, you will architect and implement core backend platforms—working closely with engineering, product, and design teams to deliver features that are reliable, performant, and secure. Your leadership in architectural decisions and backend best practices will shape the technical foundation of Pika for millions of users.What You’ll DoLead Backend Platform Engineering: Architect and develop scalable, high-performing backend systems and APIs powering all Pika products and services.Own Distributed Infrastructure: Build, maintain, and enhance distributed systems and infrastructure in a cloud environment (AWS/GCP), ensuring high availability and reliability.Drive Large-Scale Projects: Take ownership of backend features and platforms from ideation through launch and ongoing iteration.Enable Real-Time Interactions: Develop systems to support low-latency, real-time collaboration and messaging at scale.Integrate Generative AI Systems: Design and optimize backend features that power creative, AI-driven product capabilities.Champion Quality & Best Practices: Lead technical discussions, review code, drive backend architectural proposals, and mentor engineers to elevate standards across the team.What We’re Looking ForExperience: 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years in senior backend roles delivering scalable APIs and infrastructure at scale.Technical Mastery: Deep expertise in building distributed systems, RESTful and real-time APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, etc.).System Design: Demonstrated strength in designing and implementing reliable, scalable backend services for high-traffic applications.Product Focus: Track record of launching impactful backend features that balance technical quality with business needs.Ownership & Initiative: Proven ability to independently lead complex projects, troubleshoot problems, and deliver impactful solutions.Collaboration & Communication: Strong written and verbal skills—thrive in cross-functional environments with product, design, and engineering peers.Nice to HaveExperience with real-time collaboration platforms, creative tools, or media-rich applications.Familiarity with integrating generative AI or agent-based systems.Previous experience at high-growth startups or in fast-paced, evolving settings.Competitive coding, hackathon, or open-source contributions.What We OfferCompetitive salary in the AI industry.Equity in a rapidly growing startup shaping the future of AI and creativity.Comprehensive health benefits, monthly stipends, and company retreats.Supportive, collaborative office culture—we’re all building and launching together.About PikaAt Pika, our mission is to make video creation seamless, intuitive, and accessible to everyone through the latest advances in AI. We believe everyone should be empowered to express creativity, and we foster a culture of product thinking, technical rigor, and collective impact. We're based in Palo Alto, CA, working in-office 3–5 days a week.Compensation Range: $250K - $350KLocationPalo Alto HQEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeOn-siteDepartmentEngineeringCompensationbase salary $250K – $350K