Staff Engineer, Backend Platform

Staff Engineer, Backend Platform Zum has reimagined student transportation—managing every vehicle, driver, passenger, parent, and ride on a single platform. We're growing fast and looking for super-smart folks motivated to fix the nation's largest mass transportation system and make a real difference for students, schools, drivers, parents and caregivers. Zum is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as a CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, and Fast Company's World Changing ideas. This is a hybrid position based out of our headquarters in Redwood City, CA. You will be required to be on-site a minimum of 3 days per week (Monday - Thursday). We will only consider candidates already located in the Bay Area. Who You Are: We are looking to add a Staff Engineer, Backend Platform to our Backend Engineering team. You will be responsible for hands-on contributions in building Zum's technology platform. At Zum, we value developers who are self-driven and able to devise simple solutions to complex problems, and thrive in building products with full ownership that will have a significant impact on the company's business. If this sounds like you, then you will love this Job. What You'll Do: You will be a core contributor in designing the architecture of our Backend platform. Work with 2-4 backend developers to deliver high-quality product features. Introduce tools and processes to scale (and accelerate) our development processes. Work with the Product and Design team to plan and deliver new product features. Improve our existing Backend platform while adding new features and content to our product. Hands-on coding while you own the full development lifecycle—from ideation to deployment—and quickly see the impact of your work. What You Bring To Zūm: Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science (or equivalent). 8+ years of industry experience as a Software Engineer or Staff Engineer. Proven experience building backend systems for enterprise-level applications across multiple platforms. Strong hands-on skills in architectural design and backend development. Experience with relational and non-relational databases. Proficiency in one or more backend programming languages: Node.js, Java, or Python. Hands-on experience deploying and managing applications in cloud environments (AWS or Google Cloud). Experience building scalable systems—both vertically and horizontally. Proficient in developing APIs for internal and external use with a strong focus on performance, scalability, and security. Experience with microservice-based architectures. Other skills required to succeed in this role: Strong technical experience and eagerness to enforce and establish good coding conventions. Good planning, organization, and decision-making skills. Good communication with engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders. Bonus Points: Passionate about working for a mission-driven company. Experience working in the transportation industry. Strong experience with NodeJS and Typescript. The targeted base salary range for this role is listed in the compensation section below. Actual salary may be above or below this range based on factors such as location, skills, and relevant experience. In addition, this position may include additional compensation in the form of equity or commissions. If you are a full-time salaried or hourly worker, we offer the following benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Holidays, Wellness, Vacation, and more. The targeted pay range for this role in CA, USA is: $220,000 - $260,000 plus stock options. Zum Services, Inc. and all its subsidiaries provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Zum - Redwood City, CA, US Onsite/Remote