Senior/Staff Backend Engineer

About Fora

Fora is the modern travel agency, empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs to build thriving travel advisory businesses. We're modernizing the $100B+ travel industry with AI woven through every part of the advisor's workflow, plus global supplier relationships, personalized training, and a vibrant community, all in one place. That's what lets advisors build businesses that scale, while their taste and service create trips no algorithm alone could plan. At the heart of it all is our mission: to help the next generation of travel entrepreneurs turn their love for travel into a fulfilling career, whether full-time or part-time.

We're mission-driven and obsessed with our customers, and we believe humans and AI are both essential: the best work here comes from people and technology at their best, together. That's not just a philosophy about our product, it's how we build our team. Everyone at Fora gets hands-on with frontier AI tooling as part of the job. At Fora, you'll learn to be AI-fluent, with real experience applying AI to solve problems day to day, wherever you sit in the company.


Founded in 2021, Fora has grown to a team of 250+ full-time employees based in downtown New York City . In 2026, we closed a $60 million Series D led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, with continued backing from Thrive Capital, Insight Partners, and Heartcore Capital. We've been named a LinkedIn Top Startup (2024), one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies (2023 and 2025), and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies (2026).

Come build something that hasn't existed before.

About The Role

We're looking for a seasoned Senior/Staff Backend Engineer to join us as we continue to build Fora's products and infrastructure. Our ideal candidate is someone who understands our mission & brand, is excited about what we're creating, and is passionate about building high quality software! The work for this role will touch all aspects of our advisor portal, external-facing website, content and supplier systems, internal admin tools, and external integrations.
Key Responsibilities

• Partner with Product Managers and Designers to define and prioritize the roadmap
• Alongside your fellow engineers, build the travel advisors application that is responsible for new advisors on boarding, searching and booking travel, and manages the advisor's itineraries and interactions with their clients
• Focus on performance, architecture, clean design and clean code principles of development
• Collaborate with other engineers in order to define end to end engineering solutions
• Own epics and be responsible for the entire solution - design, implementation and delivery

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
• 5+ years experience in backend web development
• 3+ years experience with Python, using Django / Flask / Alternative
• High API and distributed systems design skills
• Experience with relational database ORMs
• AWS experience, a plus
• Kubernetes experience, a plus
• Ability to be a team player, with strong communication and collaboration skills
• An entrepreneurial mindset

Compensation

Compensation for this role ranges from $185K to $235K + equity, based on the level at which a candidate is hired. Each level has a single standardized compensation figure, and the level offered is determined by performance across the interview process.

• Unlimited vacation
• Health Insurance (including an option completely covered by Fora HQ)
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• Wellhub Memberships
• 401k plan with company match
• Commuter Benefits
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Stock Options

This role is based in New York City with a hybrid WFH & office schedule (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are our Tribeca in-office days, with flexibility for Wednesday and Friday at your preference).


Our Values

We're forging our own path

Fora has always been about driving change within the industry. We're not interested in maintaining the status quo.


We're stronger together

Community is our cornerstone and collective power is our strength. We believe we can all go further when we operate together, using our combined leverage to unlock better opportunities and outcomes for our advisors, partners, and travelers.

We believe in technology

We believe technology is an answer to some of the most fundamental challenges the travel industry faces. We believe advancements in AI, bold investments in our platforms, and a world-class data infrastructure will transform the work of our advisors and our partners, while creating better travel experiences for travelers.

We're here to serve

We operate in service of our community and believe that when they're empowered to focus on what they do best, we all win. It's why we relentlessly advocate for our advisors and prioritize their best interest every step of the way.

We mean business

Fora is equal parts fun, meaningful work and serious travel business. We're unlocking opportunities for thousands of travel entrepreneurs, delivering a stream of high-quality guests at scale for our partners, and providing a superior travel experience for our travelers. It's a better equation for the future of our industry.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

Authorization to work in the United States is required for full-time roles based in our New York City office. Fora is unable to sponsor or assist with U.S. work authorization. Roles based outside of the United States are not subject to this requirement.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Fora is committed to an equitable hiring process and an inclusive work environment. BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We will not discriminate and will take action to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other characteristic protected by law.