Senior / Principal Backend Engineer (Graph and AI Systems)

Senior / Principal Backend Engineer (Graph and AI Systems)

Duration is 6-12 months, with extensions - candidate must be in PST or CST only


Summary
Seeking a hands-on backend engineer with production experience in graph databases and AI-integrated systems, ideally from large-scale SaaS or platform environments. This role focuses on building distributed systems, knowledge graph architectures, and LLM-enabled services.


Strong communication skills and professional presence are critical. Candidates must demonstrate clear, articulate communication with no reliance on filler language. This is a strict hire or no hire factor.


Must-Have Skills (Do Not Submit Without These)

• 10+ years backend development using Java and/or Node.js
• Strong experience building distributed systems and microservices
• Hands-on Neo4j or similar graph database experience in production
• Strong graph data modeling and Cypher or equivalent query language experience
• Experience with knowledge graphs and ontology-driven systems
• Experience integrating LLMs or AI into backend systems in production
• Strong experience with event-driven and real-time data pipelines
• Experience with AWS or GCP and containerization
• Strong REST API development and CI/CD using Git

Strong Preference

• Experience within Salesforce ecosystem including APIs, Data Cloud, or platform integrations
• Background in enterprise SaaS or multi-tenant platforms
• Experience with graph and AI patterns such as GraphRAG or knowledge graph and LLM integration
• Experience with vector databases or embeddings

Target Companies (Prioritize These)
Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple
SaaS or platform companies
High-scale product engineering environments such as Silicon Valley or Seattle-based companies


Do Not Submit
Candidates from banking or financial services, insurance, healthcare, higher education, or traditional enterprise institutions.


Vendor Accountability
Repeated failure to follow submission rules, screening requirements and expectations will result in submissions being deprioritized or paused.


Screen Before Submitting (Required)

• Neo4j or similar graph database used in production
• Experience building distributed systems at scale
• Hands-on LLM or AI integration in production
• Background in a product-based technology company, not institution-heavy
• LinkedIn profile is complete, includes a professional headshot, and matches the CV
• Candidate demonstrates clear, professional communication with no reliance on filler language