Staff Backend Engineer

Staff Backend EngineerLocation: 3 days in-office in San Francisco, CAEmployment Type: Full-timeExperience: 8+ yearsFocus: Backend Architecture, Marketplace Infrastructure, Microservices, EKS, AI-Native EngineeringAbout Our ClientOur client is a fast-growing consumer marketplace platform expanding into new collectibles categories. The company is scaling quickly and building the backend infrastructure needed to support high-volume transactions, new vertical launches, and a more modern, reliable engineering foundation.This is an opportunity to join a high-ownership engineering team working on large-scale backend systems, marketplace infrastructure, and category expansion in a fast-moving consumer environment.About the RoleOur client is hiring a Staff Backend Engineer to help scale the backbone of their platform as they expand into new collectibles categories.This person will be a highly opinionated technical architect who can own large projects end-to-end — from designing container-based systems to launching new product categories and migrating legacy systems into scalable microservices.This is a strong fit for an engineer who can balance greenfield architecture with legacy modernization, enjoys working in a high-scale marketplace environment, and is comfortable using AI-powered development tools as part of their daily workflow.What You'll DoDesign and scale container-based backend architecture using EKSHelp scale backend systems from roughly 1.5B to 2.5B+ monthly transactionsBuild backend systems for new category launches with unique inventory, marketplace, and scaling requirementsOwn major backend projects from architecture through implementation, deployment, and iterationMigrate monolithic repositories into microservices while keeping existing systems stableImprove production reliability through observability, monitoring, and scalability planningWork with tools like Datadog and Sentry to identify, troubleshoot, and improve system performancePartner closely with DevOps, product, and cross-functional teams to ship reliable marketplace infrastructureUse AI-powered engineering tools, including Claude Code and Cursor, as part of the development and PR workflowBalance speed, reliability, and long-term architecture in a fast-paced consumer marketplace environmentWhat We're Looking For8+ years of backend engineering experienceStrong experience designing and scaling backend systems in productionExperience with container-based infrastructure, ideally EKS or Kubernetes-based environmentsStrong understanding of microservices architecture and monolith-to-microservices migrationsExperience building systems that support high-volume transactions, marketplace workflows, or consumer-facing platformsStrong production reliability instincts, including observability, monitoring, and scalability planningExperience working with tools like Datadog, Sentry, or similar observability platformsAbility to own large technical projects end-to-endStrong architectural opinions with the ability to collaborate in a low-ego team environmentComfort using AI-powered development tools as part of the daily engineering workflowHigh ownership, strong communication, and a bias toward shippingWhy This OpportunityJoin a fast-growing marketplace platform expanding into new collectibles categoriesOwn backend architecture that supports billions of transactions each monthWork on both greenfield systems and meaningful legacy modernizationHelp launch new verticals with unique inventory and scaling challengesPartner with a high-ownership, low-ego engineering teamUse modern AI-powered engineering workflows to move faster and improve development qualityStep into a Staff-level role with real technical influence across architecture, reliability, and platform scaleIdeal Candidate ProfileThe ideal candidate is a Staff-level backend engineer who has scaled production systems, owned complex architecture, and helped modernize backend platforms without breaking the business.They are opinionated but collaborative, comfortable operating in ambiguity, and excited to build reliable systems for a fast-growing consumer marketplace.