Senior Backend Engineer

TalkingParents Senior Backend EngineerPositions are full-time and onsite (in-person) at our office in beautiful Fort Walton Beach, Florida.As a TalkingParents Senior Backend Engineer, you will build and ship production features using AI-assisted development workflows daily. You'll architect solutions and steer AI-driven development workflows, ensuring generated code meets production standards while personally owning the critical paths, edge cases, and system-defining logic. If you enjoy shipping fast, thinking clearly about system design, writing code that matters, and being part of a team that treats you like family, this is the role for you.How you'll make an impact:TalkingParents is looking for a senior engineer who is excited about what AI-assisted development actually looks like in production - not demos, not toy projects, but real, production-deployed, multi-service.NET systems. You'll own backend services end-to-end, from database schema through API controllers, working with AI agents that multiply your output while you maintain quality and architectural intent.Main ResponsibilitiesDesign, build, and maintain C#/.NET backend services - APIs, domain logic, Azure Functions, and data access layersWork within an AI-assisted development workflow - reviewing AI-generated code, guiding agent output, writing prompts that produce correct implementations, and knowing when to code by handOwn features from technical design through deployment - decompose requirements into implementation tasks, write acceptance criteria, and drive work to completionWrite and maintain unit tests (MSTest + Moq) using TDD practicesDesign and optimize SQL Server schemas and queries (T-SQL, Dapper, SqlKata)Build and maintain Azure Functions for background queue processing, time-triggered tasks, and processing incoming web hooksCollaborate with web, mobile, and DevOps engineers to ship cohesive featuresParticipate in code review - both reviewing AI-generated PRs and peer-reviewing human workTroubleshoot production issues across service boundaries using Application Insights and RaygunContribute to architectural decisions and help evolve the platform's backend patternsSkills and QualificationsBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience5+ years of professional experience building backend services in C# /.NETStrong hands-on experience with ASP.NET Core Web APIs - controllers, middleware, dependency injection (Autofac preferred)Solid T-SQL skills and experience with database design, query optimization, and data access patterns (Dapper, Entity Framework, or similar ORMs)Experience with Microsoft Azure services - App Services, Azure Functions, Azure SQL, Storage Queues, Service Bus, Key VaultPracticed TDD workflow - you write tests before implementation, not afterExperience with Git workflows - branching strategies, pull requests, conventional commits, CI checksComfortable working with AI coding tools (GitHub Copilot, multi-agent systems, or similar) - you don't need to be an expert, but you should be curious and unafraidStrong problem-solving instincts - you can trace a bug across service boundaries without hand-holdingClear written and verbal communication - you'll write technical specs, review AI output, and explain decisions to teammatesSelf-directed with good judgment about when to ask questions vs. when to make a callBonus SkillsExperience with Blazor or other server-side rendered.NET UI frameworksFamiliarity with event-driven architectures - queues, pub/sub, background job processingExperience with Cosmos DB or other NoSQL databases alongside relational storesPrior use of AI-assisted development workflows - prompt engineering, agent orchestration, or AI code reviewExperience with IdentityServer or OAuth2/OpenID Connect implementationsPerformance profiling and optimization at scaleExperience mentoring junior engineersCandidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States and must not now or in the future require visa sponsorship to continue employment.If you are passionate about Software Engineering, thrive in a dynamic environment, and are excited to bring innovative ideas to life, we encourage you to apply today!