Lead Backend Software Engineer (API & Microservices development) (SAN JOSE)

Own Every Moment at NetApp

At NetApp, your ideas power innovation. We lead in intelligent data infrastructure—delivering unified storage, integrated data services, and solutions that help organizations unlock the full potential of their data, from AI to multicloud.

Ready to innovate and contribute to our path to $10B? Here, you'll collaborate with passionate teams, tackle real-world challenges, and see your impact in how customers transform and grow. If you're ready to bring curiosity, creativity, and drive to every moment, NetApp is where your journey begins. Join teams that innovate to elevate, drive results, and excel together across every function.

Job Summary

NetApp's Azure NetApp Files (ANF) team builds cloud storage services that power enterprise workloads in Microsoft Azure. We are looking for a senior software engineer focused on designing, developing, and owning backend microservices and REST APIs used to create, manage, update, and delete service objects across cloud-scale distributed systems. The ideal candidate has strong production software development experience in one or more of Go, C++, or C#, has built APIs and microservices through the full software development lifecycle, and is comfortable working with containers, Docker images, Kubernetes-based services, databases, and modern CI/CD practices. 

Job Requirements

• Design, develop, and own production-quality REST APIs and backend service components for ANF cloud services. 
• Build API functionality end-to-end, including design, implementation, unit and integration testing, deployment, monitoring, and production support. 
• Develop cloud-native microservices using containerized architectures, Docker, Kubernetes, and modern CI/CD pipelines. 
• Contribute to service object lifecycle workflows, including APIs used to create, manage, update, and delete resources. 
• Work across the full SDLC, translating customer, product, and platform requirements into scalable, secure, maintainable services. 
• Develop or modify Kubernetes-based service components; this role requires engineering depth beyond basic Kubernetes usage or administration. 
• Use database technologies such as PostgreSQL or MongoDB as part of application and API development, including schema-aware service integration and data access patterns. 
• Collaborate with architects, product management, partner teams, and peer engineers to deliver reliable cloud-service capabilities. 
• Participate in architecture reviews, design discussions, code reviews, and operational readiness reviews. 
• Troubleshoot production issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement long-term improvements for reliability, scalability, performance, and service quality. 
• Apply AI-assisted engineering practices appropriately to improve day-to-day development productivity while maintaining code quality, security, and ownership. 

Minimum Qualifications

Required Qualifications 

• 8+ years of software engineering experience building production software, backend services, distributed systems, or cloud-native platforms. 
• Hands-on development experience in at least one of the following languages: Go, C++, or C#. 
• Demonstrated experience developing REST APIs or service-to-service integrations as part of core product or platform work. 
• Experience building microservices end-to-end, including design, implementation, testing, deployment, and production support. 
• Experience with Docker and containerized service development, including building or maintaining Docker images. 
• Experience developing or modifying Kubernetes-based services or components; administration-only Kubernetes experience is not sufficient. 
• Experience using databases as part of application or API development, preferably PostgreSQL or MongoDB. Database administration alone is not the target experience. 
• Strong software quality practices, including automated testing, code reviews, CI/CD, observability, and secure development practices. 
• Ability to communicate design tradeoffs, implementation plans, and project status clearly to technical and cross-functional stakeholders. 
• Creative and analytical approach to solving complex engineering problems. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience building and operating cloud-native distributed systems in Azure, AWS, or GCP. 
• Experience with cloud storage services, infrastructure services, distributed systems, databases, data protection, or data management platforms. 
• Experience leading small to medium engineering projects or owning major service components from design through release. 
• Experience with Python for automation, tooling, validation frameworks, CI/CD integration, or operational automation. 
• Familiarity with React, TypeScript, event driven / message brokering architecture (rabbitmq, Kafka, etc). 
• Experience applying AI tools responsibly in software development workflows, such as code assistance, test generation, documentation, or productivity improvement. 

Education 

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience. Master’s degree preferred.

Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is $215,000 - $245,000 . The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. The range is based on 'On Target Earnings’ (OTE) representing the total potential earnings, which is the sum of the base salary and potential commission earned when performance targets are achieved. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s). These offerings are subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. We will provide detailed information about the specific benefits for your region during the recruitment process.

At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.

Why You'll Thrive at NetApp

At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.

NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.

Our culture

We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.

If you're ready to innovate, rise to the challenge, and own every moment - make your next move your best one. Apply now.

Submitting an Application

To ensure a streamlined and fair hiring process for all candidates, our team only reviews applications submitted through our company website. This practice allows us to track, assess, and respond to applicants efficiently. Emailing our employees, recruiters, or Human Resources personnel directly will not influence your application.

AI Disclosure

For select roles, some stages of our hiring process may use artificial intelligence tools to help evaluate applications and candidate selection. These tools support—rather than replace—human decision-making.