Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Location: Austin, TX

Category: Technology

Job ID: 3067

Recognized as the No. 1 site trusted by real estate professionals, Realtor.com® has been at the forefront of online real estate for over 25 years, connecting buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights and expert guidance to find their perfect home. Through its robust suite of tools, Realtor.com® not only makes a significant impact on the real estate industry at large, but for consumers, navigating the biggest purchase they will make in their life, by providing a user experience that is easy to use, easy to understand, and most of all, easy to make decisions.

Join us on our mission to empower more people to find their way home by breaking barriers to entry, making the right connections, and building confidence through expert guidance.

A Staff Software Engineer at Realtor.com® is a technical leader focusing on ambiguous problems. You understand the long-term business needs and impacts of technology decisions. As a Realtor.com® Core Leads team member, you help facilitate individuals' home journeys by aligning them with real estate partners, including Buyer's Agents. Your direct impact will drive the achievement of critical OKRs.

Staff Software Engineers at Realtor.com® :

• Help and guide the team in making the right trade-offs between short-term requirements and the long-term business/operational success of the squad.
• Provide system-wide view and design guidance to the squad members and also influence the design decisions made by other teams.
• Help the team to make trade-offs and re-use where possible.
• Work on project ideas with Product Management and engage with customers, stakeholders, and peers.
• Demonstrate an exemplary approach to work and deliver exceptional code submissions.
• Mentor by actively participating in the code review process, design discussions, and team planning.

What will you do?

• Lead the design and delivery for the ambiguous/complex problem space in the squad.
• Provide guidance to team/s on system architecture and design.
• Develop solutions that are of high quality, scalable, and reliable
• Work collaboratively in squads composed of Product Managers, Designers, Analysts, and Engineers.
• Mentor and develop a team of engineers
• Investigate and prototype technologies that can be leveraged to introduce new innovations
• Be self-directed, take initiative and drive towards solutions with little guidance

We believe in leveraging the best tools to solve problems faster. You will be expected to utilize AI coding assistants and LLMs proficiently to accelerate development velocity, generate boilerplate, and troubleshoot complex debugging scenarios. Beyond simple usage, this role requires the critical judgment to verify AI-generated outputs for security, performance, and accuracy. You should be comfortable integrating AI tooling into your daily workflow to eliminate repetitive tasks, allowing you to focus on high-impact architectural and strategic engineering challenges.

What will you bring?

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
• 8+ years experience in software development
• 3+ years of experience contributing to architecture and design
• Experience in building software or interest and ability to learn in the Realtor.com® stack of Python (FastAPI, Pydantic, Numpy, Pandas) and React
• Experience with database systems and AWS knowledge preferred
• Experience delivering high value to customers quickly, frequently, with regular feedback and support
• Experience with system design and trade-offs between design approaches
• Strong software engineering best practices (e.g. testing, code reviews, documentation).

How We Work:

We balance creativity and innovation on a foundation of in-person collaboration. Our employees work three days in our Austin headquarters where they have the opportunity to collaborate in-person, adding richness to our culture and knitting us closer together.

How we Reward you:

Realtor.com® is committed to investing in the health and well-being of our employees and their families. Our benefits programs include, but are not limited to:

• Inclusive and Competitive medical, Rx, dental, and vision coverage
• Family forming benefits
• 13 Paid Holidays
• Flexible Time Off
• 8 hours of paid Volunteer Time off
• Immediate eligibility into Company 401(k) plan with 3.5% company match
• Tuition Reimbursement program for degree and non-degreed programs
• 1:1 personalized Financial Planning Sessions
• Student Debt Retirement Savings Match program
• Free snacks and refreshments in each office location

Do the best work of your life at Realtor.com®

Here, you'll partner with a diverse team of experts as you use leading-edge tech to empower everyone to meet a crucial goal: finding their way home. And you'll find your way home too. At Realtor.com®, you'll bring your full self to work as you innovate with speed, serve our consumers, and champion your teammates. In return, we'll provide you with a warm, welcoming, and inclusive culture; intellectual challenges; and the development opportunities you need to grow.

Diversity is important to us, therefore, Realtor.com® is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of age, color, national origin, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, status as a disabled veteran and/or veteran of the Vietnam Era or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Realtor.com® will provide reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified disabled individuals.

Benefits that fit your life

Your well-being matters to us, and we want you to live your best life. These are just some of the ways we can help keep you and your family safe, healthy, and happy.

Physical health

Good health is all about making good choices and having the right health options throughout your life. To help you, we provide:

• Flexible medical, vision, and dental insurance
• Reproductive care (most locations)
• Access to fertility and family-building services (most locations)
• Gender-affirming coverage, so you can feel and be your truest self
• Access to an inclusive, integrated virtual healthcare navigation program (most locations)
• Autism programs to support you and your family (most locations).
• Telemedicine services (most locations).

Emotional well-being

Your emotional well-being is just as important as your physical health. As Realtor.com, you'll be seen, heard, valued, and cared for in many ways.

• Employee Assistance Program, including work/life counseling and guidance, legal services, and financial services
• Generous paid time off (sick time, vacation time, and various leave programs) to meet your unique needs
• Phone and video counseling services to support your emotional health
• Mental health support for children ages 18 months to 17 years (most locations)
• Access to a mindfulness app to support your emotional well-being

Financial health

It's no secret that financial peace of mind greatly contributes to your overall health and well-being. We can help enhance your financial security—now and into the future.

• 401(k) with 3.5% employer match (3% in Canada)
• Accidental death and disability insurance
• Tuition reimbursement to support career-related studies
• Debt management support through online tools, education, and expert help

Caregiving support

We give you the space and support you need so you can be present for your family during major life events, like birth, illness, or injury. You'll have the resources, time, and flexibility to take care of things when life happens.

• Exceptional paid parental leave to help you welcome your newest family addition
• Lactation support services for new parents (most locations)
• Backup