Staff Back End Engineer

you.com is an AI-powered search and productivity platform designed to empower users with personalized, efficient, and trustworthy search experiences. We combine advanced AI models with user-first principles to deliver tools that enhance discovery, creativity, and productivity. At you.com, we are on a mission to create the most helpful search engine in the world—one that prioritizes transparency, privacy, and user control.

We’re building a team of innovators, problem-solvers, and visionaries who are passionate about shaping the future of AI and technology. At you.com, you’ll have the opportunity to work on impactful projects, collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry, and grow your career in an environment that values creativity, diversity, and curiosity. If you’re ready to make a difference and help us revolutionize the way people search and work, we’d love to have you join us!

About the Role

Are you passionate about building scalable architectures, improving platform performance, and contributing to cutting-edge technology? We’re looking for a Senior Backend Engineer to design and develop the foundational systems and platforms that power our LLM-based generative AI assistant. In this role, you’ll focus on creating robust, secure, and scalable backend systems, improving infrastructure, and contributing to open-source projects that drive innovation. Your work will directly impact the technology that millions of users rely on every day.

This is a remote position open to candidates based in the United States. We also have co-working spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York.

Responsibilities

• Architect and Build Scalable Systems: Design, build, and maintain backend systems and infrastructure that support web-scale AI-driven products.
• Improve Platform Performance: Focus on scalability, reliability, and security to ensure our systems can handle millions of users seamlessly.
• Contribute to Open Source: Work on open-source projects and integrate cutting-edge technologies into our platform.
• Optimize Data Pipelines: Develop and maintain production databases (SQL and NoSQL) and ensure performant query patterns that scale effectively.
• Eliminate Technical Debt: Refactor and improve existing systems to enhance maintainability and scalability.
• Establish Best Practices: Help define architectural patterns and team practices that enable long-term growth and innovation.
• Collaborate Across Teams: Work with infrastructure and DevOps teams to ensure robust deployment and monitoring strategies.

Qualifications

• Technical Expertise: Proven experience building and deploying mission-critical REST/RPC services with a focus on scalability and performance.
• Infrastructure Knowledge: Familiarity with Kubernetes (k8s), deployment pipelines, and debugging system-level issues.
• Database Proficiency: Expertise in designing and maintaining scalable SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Open Source Contributions: Experience contributing to or maintaining open-source projects is a plus.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to tackle complex technical challenges and deliver elegant, maintainable solutions.
• Collaboration Skills: Strong communication and teamwork abilities to work effectively with cross-functional technical teams.

Our salary bands are structured based on a combination of geographic tiers and internal leveling. Compensation is determined by multiple factors assessed during the interview process, with the final offer reflecting these considerations.

Salary Band

$230,000 - $290,000 USD

Company Perks:

• Hubs in San Francisco and New York City offering regular in-person gatherings and co-working sessions
• Flexible PTO with U.S. holidays observed and a week shutdown in December to rest and recharge*
• A competitive health insurance plan covers 100% of the policyholder and 75% for dependents*
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave in the US*
• 401k program, 3% match - vested immediately!*
• $500 work-from-home stipend to be used up to a year of your start date*
• $1,200 per year Health & Wellness Allowance to support your personal goals*
• The chance to collaborate with a team at the forefront of AI research
• *Certain perks and benefits are limited to full-time employees only

you.com is an E-Verify employer. We are also an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace. Please let us know if you require accommodation for any portion of the recruitment and hiring process.

Equal Opportunity Employer: we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected status. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply and encourage you to share your portfolio or relevant work.