Senior Backend Engineer - AI Agent

At Athena, we empower possibility through transformative delegation. True leaders reflect on what they want and map the path to get there. We clear the way by pairing exceptional Executive Assistants with our driven clients and ensuring both receive ongoing support throughout the journey. The result is 10x more leverage, more time, and a greater impact on our clients' work and lives.

We are on a mission to build the best delegation platform in the world. We believe that the Human+AI combination will provide a superior experience to delegate complex tasks by combining the strengths of highly trained assistants leveraging highly trained AI agents.

Role Overview

The Senior Backend Engineer will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining the backend systems that support our applications and services. This role requires a deep understanding of backend technologies, databases, scalable system architecture, and AI agentic systems. This engineer will play a key role in building Athena's AI agentic systems and the engineering harnesses that support the system development, evaluation, reliability, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will have strong problem-solving skills and experience working in a collaborative, agile environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and Develop Backend Systems: Architect, code, and maintain backend infrastructure using modern technologies and best practices to ensure high performance, security, and scalability.
• Build AI Agentic Systems and Harnesses: Design and develop backend services, orchestration layers, and supporting engineering harnesses for AI agentic systems, including tooling for evaluation, testing, monitoring, and iterative improvement.
• Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Work closely with frontend developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to define requirements, design solutions, and deliver high-quality software.
• Optimize and Improve Existing Systems: Continuously monitor and optimize backend performance. Identify bottlenecks and implement improvements to enhance efficiency, scalability, and the reliability of AI-powered systems.
• Ensure Code Quality: Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code. Conduct code reviews and provide constructive feedback to peers.
• Implement Security Best Practices: Ensure backend systems are secure and comply with industry standards and regulations.
• Mentor Junior Engineers: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior team members to help them grow their technical skills and career.

Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years of experience in backend development, with a strong focus on building scalable and robust systems. Proficiency in languages such as Python or Node.js. Experience building AI-powered products, agentic systems, or engineering tooling / harnesses is strongly preferred.
• Technical Skills: Deep understanding of databases (SQL and NoSQL), RESTful APIs, microservices architecture, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP). Familiarity with LLM-based systems, orchestration frameworks, evaluation pipelines, or related AI infrastructure is a plus.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify issues and implement effective solutions.
• Collaboration: Excellent teamwork and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

Equal Opportunity Employer: At Athena, we are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace environment. We believe that diversity enriches our organization, enhances creativity, and drives innovation. We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents. We actively promote diversity and inclusion through our hiring practices, employee development initiatives, and company culture, recognizing that it is essential for our success as a company and as a community.

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