Software Engineer - Backend

About Avante Ask any employee to explain their benefits, and you'll likely get a confused shrug. Ask any HR leader if their benefits investment is working, and you'll get an honest "I don't know." For employees, benefits are confusing and overwhelming. For HR and finance leaders, benefits are the second-largest expense, but they lack the visibility to know what's working and what's wasted. At Avante, we're changing that. We're an AI-native benefits intelligence platform built to turn benefits complexity into clarity. For employees, our agent Carly provides personalized, always-on benefits guidance. For benefits leaders, our agent Ava monitors their entire program, surfaces what needs attention, and delivers strategic intelligence on costs, utilization, and outcomes in seconds. Together, these agents create a closed-loop system where employee engagement data informs benefits strategy, and smarter strategy improves the employee experience. We're based in Seattle and work 4 days a week in the office (one day remote). We're growing fast, serving enterprise customers like Samsung, Zscaler, and News Corp. We're hiring our first Field Marketing Manager to own how we show up in market: at trade shows, in regional dinners, alongside our channel partners, and at the executive gatherings where our buyers actually make decisions. What You'll Do Write high-quality, production-ready TypeScript code for our backend services and APIs Design, build, and maintain scalable services within our TypeScript monorepo Model data, design schemas, and optimize queries in PostgreSQL Integrate with external systems including HRIS platforms, ticketing systems, and third-party APIs Build infrastructure for AI-powered features—prompt engineering, context management, and reliable AI system integration Build for production with attention to observability, monitoring, and testability from day one Participate in design discussions, code reviews, and technical decision-making Collaborate closely with product, design, and engineering peers to deliver solutions that drive real business value What We're Looking For 3+ years of professional software engineering experience, primarily in backend development Strong proficiency in TypeScript or willingness to ramp quickly if coming from similar languages (Java, C#, Python) Solid experience with relational databases—schema design, query writing, and performance basics Familiarity with API design patterns and building services that other systems depend on Ability to work effectively in ambiguity, prioritize well, and balance speed with maintainability Strong communication skills and genuine interest in understanding the problems you're solving Experience building AI-powered features or working with LLM APIs is a significant plus, though not required—this field is new enough that we're more interested in your curiosity and learning orientation than checking a box Our Company Values Beat Yesterday. We re-evaluate our own toolkit every quarter, because the workflows that made you effective three months ago may already be outdated. We act on 70% of the information rather than waiting for certainty. We timebox, execute, and iterate, getting work in front of real people quickly instead of polishing in isolation. And we own our output regardless of how we produced it. AI can get you 80% of the way there. Everything that goes out with your name on it is your responsibility to review, refine, and stand behind. Embrace Type 2 Fun. We take on hard problems and find meaning in the work, even when it's uncomfortable. We assume good intent and follow up directly rather than venting in side channels. We celebrate wins loudly and specifically, naming the actual behavior so the whole team learns what great looks like. We are on by default, because we owe it to each other and to our customers to be available beyond what a regular corporate job would demand. And we do unscalable things today that build scalable advantages tomorrow. Every white-glove dinner, every hand-built territory map, every late-night booth setup earns us the right to scale later. Stay Hungry, Stay Curious. We expect everyone to be the expert on AI in their function before anyone asks them to be. The landscape changes weekly. When you learn something, teach it. Learn enough about adjacent functions to ask good questions, including what your AEs are saying on calls, how brokers actually make money, and why a benefits committee pushes back on a deal. Ask the question you think is too basic, because in complex domains like benefits, the cost of a wrong assumption can be a lost account. And remember: curiosity without urgency is a hobby. Learning has to translate into action on a timeline that matches the opportunity. Act Like an Owner. We say the uncomfortable thing early, raising missed commitments or quality gaps directly with the person within 48 hours. We surface problems when they're small, not the week they become a crisis. Customer-facing work gets priority, always. And we close the loop every time, because over-communication is a feature at our stage, not a bug. Benefits $130,000 - $170,000 a year Benefits include: stock options, medical/dental/vision, and 401k Interview Process Initial screen with our recruiters Video Interview with our Head of Engineering On-site interview loop: Technical interview focused on real-world problem solving (no whiteboard algorithms) Team behavioral interview 1:1 with our PM Final loop with our Head of Engineering Final conversation with our CEO If you're excited about solving complex data challenges in the benefits space while making a meaningful impact on businesses and their employees, we'd love to hear from you! Avante is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We’re building a diverse, inclusive team and welcome candidates of all backgrounds. #J-18808-Ljbffr Avante