Senior/Staff Backend Engineer

Senior/Staff Backend Engineer (Platform & AI Systems)Location: San Francisco, CA / New York, NY (Hybrid – 3–4 days/week onsite) Company Stage of Funding: Early Growth Stage (~$2M raised, ~$10M ARR, high-growth trajectory) Office Type: Hybrid (SF or NYC) Salary: $200,000 – $250,000 + Equity (0.25% – 1%) Visa: Visa sponsorship available (H1B transfers, TN; O-1 considered case-by-case)Company DescriptionOur client is a fast-growing AI-enabled platform modernizing one of the most operationally complex and high-stakes workflows in global talent mobility: immigration and visa processing for high-skilled workers.The company builds infrastructure that powers end-to-end immigration workflows for ambitious companies hiring global talent. Their platform is deeply embedded into customer operations and replaces fragmented legal, operational, and data-heavy workflows with a unified, AI-assisted system.With strong early traction (~$10M ARR on ~$2M raised), the company is scaling rapidly and expanding its engineering team to support increasing product complexity, enterprise integrations, and AI-driven automation across legal workflows.Backed by strong founder-market fit and deep domain expertise, the company operates at the intersection of legal infrastructure, AI agents, and enterprise workflow automation.This is a high-ownership engineering environment where systems correctness, reliability, and speed directly impact real-world legal outcomes.What You Will DoOwn the design and evolution of core backend systems powering immigration workflow automationBuild and scale Python-based backend services, APIs, and platform infrastructureArchitect and implement agentic workflows that automate multi-step legal processesRedesign and scale GraphQL APIs used by customers and internal teamsImprove backend system reliability, security, and data integrityDesign robust data models for complex legal and operational workflowsBuild integrations with external systems (Slack, Linear, HubSpot, Front, etc.)Contribute to migration efforts (including infrastructure modernization to AWS)Develop LLM-powered features for document generation and workflow automationImprove system performance, scalability, and maintainability under rapid growthWork directly with non-technical stakeholders (legal ops, customers, founders)Own technical decisions end-to-end in a high-agency, low-process environmentHelp define engineering culture and platform architecture as an early senior hireIdeal Candidate Background5+ years of backend engineering experience (Senior to Staff level readiness)Strong production experience with Python in scalable systemsProven experience owning backend systems end-to-end in startups or fast-growth environmentsStrong system design fundamentals (APIs, distributed systems, data modeling)Experience working in Series A–C startups or high-ownership engineering teamsComfortable operating without heavy PM structure or detailed specsStrong product sense and ability to work directly with users/customersExperience in high-complexity, workflow-heavy domains (bonus: legal, fintech, infra, or ops platforms)Preferred / Strong SignalsExperience building or scaling GraphQL APIs in productionExposure to LLM applications, agentic workflows, or AI automation systemsExperience with event-driven architectures or workflow orchestration systemsFamiliarity with PostgreSQL, serverless infrastructure, and cloud platforms (AWS preferred)Experience integrating third-party APIs in production systemsBackground in infrastructure-heavy startups or automation platformsExperience at companies like Stripe, Brex, Ramp, Palantir, Linear, or similarExperience in workflow automation / agent platforms (e.g., Inngest, n8n, Trigger.dev, Windmill ecosystem)Strong GitHub or evidence of shipped systemsStrong SignalsBuilt and owned backend systems used in production at scaleExperience designing data models for complex workflows or multi-entity systemsHistory of making architectural decisions under ambiguityProven ability to operate in fast-moving, high-ownership environmentsHands-on experience shipping AI-enabled or automation-heavy productsStrong communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholdersAbility to move fast without sacrificing correctness or securityCompensation and BenefitsBase salary: $200,000 – $250,000Equity: 0.25% – 1% (early-stage upside)Visa sponsorship available (H1B transfer, TN; selective O-1 support)Hybrid flexibility (SF / NYC)High-impact ownership role in early engineering teamDirect exposure to founders and real customer workflowsOpportunity to shape core architecture of a fast-scaling AI platformWhy JoinThis is a rare opportunity to build foundational infrastructure at the center of a high-growth AI + legal-tech platform replacing one of the most complex operational systems in the global talent ecosystem.You will own critical backend architecture that directly impacts real legal outcomes for global talent and enterprise customers.If you're excited by high-ownership backend systems, AI-driven workflow automation, and building production infrastructure that must be both fast and correct, this role offers exceptional technical scope and career upside.