Staff Backend Software Engineer

The client is a leading mobile and web-based learning platform that delivers efficient and affordable study solutions for professional certifications. Guided by the belief that education should be accessible to everyone, the platform aims to remove the stress and financial barriers often associated with professional certification exams by preparing members to pass with confidence and advance their careers.

The engineering team collaborates closely with the product and design teams to build and maintain the technical foundation of the platform’s applications. As stewards of the codebase, engineers are dedicated to their craft, delivering high-quality, resilient, and accessible products that support learners from all backgrounds in achieving their goals. The team continuously refines its processes, coding standards, and architectural patterns—both individually and collectively—to ensure readiness for future challenges.

Role Overview

The Staff Backend Engineer serves as a backend system owner (“server steward”) , responsible for designing, maintaining, and evolving the backend services that power Pocket Prep’s mobile and web platforms. This role ensures backend systems are reliable, secure, and scalable while enabling consistent API behavior across clients.

This position partners closely with engineering, product, and design teams to translate high-level goals into durable backend solutions. In addition to hands-on development, the role contributes to architectural direction, long-term system health, and mentorship of other engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain TypeScript-based backend services using Node.js
• Own and evolve RESTful APIs to support mobile and web applications
• Act as a system steward by identifying performance bottlenecks, reliability risks, and architectural gaps
• Collaborate cross-functionally to support new features and product initiatives
• Lead technical planning and backend design for complex or loosely defined problems
• Ensure system reliability through monitoring, debugging, and incident resolution
• Optimize database performance and data access patterns (MongoDB)
• Provide architectural guidance, code reviews, and mentorship to engineers
• Promote best practices around testing, documentation, and maintainability

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of backend engineering experience , with deep hands-on work in TypeScript
• Strong experience designing, implementing, and maintaining production RESTful APIs
• Proven ability to operate independently on ill-defined or high-level goals
• Solid understanding of backend fundamentals, including:

- API design

- Security considerations

- Performance and rate limiting

• Experience supporting production systems and maintaining long-term system health
• Experience with MongoDB or other NoSQL databases

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in startup or small-team environments
• Database optimization experience (indexing, query tuning)
• Experience owning systems from initial design through production and ongoing maintenance
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment workflows
• Prior experience mentoring engineers or operating at a Staff-level scope
• Exposure to other backend languages (e.g., Go, Rust) is a plus but not required

Working Style & Values

• Strong engineering judgment with a focus on long-term, maintainable solutions
• Comfortable taking ownership and making decisions with limited direction
• Collaborative, product-minded approach to problem-solving
• Willingness to give and receive feedback (“strong opinions, weakly held”)
• Commitment to craftsmanship, continuous learning, and engineering excellence

$165,000 - $215,500 a year

Why Join the Team

Stability The company has operated for over 10 years, remains 100% profitable without investor backing, and continues to grow year over year.

Work–Life Balance Team members are supported in balancing meaningful work with personal life through flexible PTO and a company-wide holiday break of approximately three weeks from mid-December through the New Year.

Comprehensive Healthcare The company covers 100% of employee healthcare premiums and 80% of dependent coverage.

Remote Flexibility Employees are encouraged to work where and when they are most effective. Offices are located near the University Village area in Seattle, Washington, and in downtown Durham, North Carolina, with support for remote work options.

Community Impact The organization actively supports community engagement through partnerships with local nonprofits and offers Volunteer Time Off (VTO) for independent community involvement.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.