Staff Backend Engineer

Role Description

We’re looking for a Staff-level Backend Engineer to help build the first production services for a context layer management system. You will design and ship the core backend architecture that powers ingestion, context storage, retrieval APIs, and agent-facing integrations.

• Build the core backend services: Design, implement, test, and operate the first services for context ingestion, context indexing, retrieval orchestration, API access, source configuration, and system administration.
• Create a scalable SaaS foundation: Help define and build the architecture for a multi-tenant service, including tenant isolation, usage tracking, quotas, audit logs, background jobs, and reliable service boundaries.
• Power agent-facing retrieval workflows: Build APIs and service interfaces that allow AI agents, MCP tools, CLIs, and internal applications to retrieve relevant context, provenance, confidence signals, and warnings.
• Work across product and infrastructure: Partner with the team to make practical tradeoffs between fast experimentation and long-term reliability, especially as the project moves from prototype to production.
• Operate what you build: Instrument services with metrics, logs, traces, alerts, and dashboards. Use observability tools to understand system behavior and improve reliability.
• Contribute to technical direction: Help shape the architecture, service boundaries, storage choices, API contracts, deployment patterns, and engineering practices for a new product area.
• Effective communication: You’ll be working in a highly dynamic and collaborative environment, so we need someone who can communicate effectively and contribute across teams.
• Ownership and impact: Take full ownership of the AI solutions you develop, ensuring they are not only innovative but also scalable, maintainable, and aligned with real user workflows.

Qualifications

• Strong engineering skills: Solid experience building production-grade, user-facing software systems.
• AI experience with a practical mindset: Familiar with AI technologies and frameworks, focusing on delivering high-quality solutions that work in the real world.
• Quick iteration and experimentation: Comfortable releasing prototypes, collecting feedback, and iterating with a pragmatic mindset.
• Proven initiative: Take ownership and drive projects forward, pushing boundaries to find impactful solutions.
• Collaborative attitude: Communicate effectively with peers, open to feedback, and bring a solutions-oriented mindset.

Requirements

• Experience with LLMs, prompt engineering, and building applications powered by GenAI.
• Proven track record of delivering software that made it into production and is actively used by users.
• Exposure to working in cloud-native environments (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Experience using observability tools to understand and troubleshoot system behavior.

Benefits

• 100% Remote, Global Culture - A remote-only company with a culture of collaboration and shared purpose.
• Scaling Organization - Tackle meaningful work in a high-growth, ever-evolving environment.
• Transparent Communication - Expect open decision-making and regular company-wide updates.
• Innovation-Driven - Autonomy and support to ship great work and try new things.
• Open Source Roots - Built on community-driven values that shape how we work.
• Empowered Teams - High trust, low ego culture that values outcomes over optics.
• Career Growth Pathways - Defined opportunities to grow and develop your career.
• Approachable Leadership - Transparent execs who are involved, visible, and human.
• Passionate People - Join a team of smart, supportive folks who care deeply about what they do.
• In-Person onboarding - Thrive from day 1 with fellow new ‘Grafanistas’ to learn all about what we do.
• Balance is Key - Global annual leave policy of 30 days per annum, including Grafana Shutdown Days.