Backend-Leaning Product Engineer
$275kClera
Job Description
Job Description
About the Role
Join a small, high-ownership product team at an early-stage B2B SaaS startup as a backend-leaning product engineer . You'll own customer-facing features end-to-end, navigate messy integrations and legacy systems, and make product and engineering trade-offs with speed and strong judgment. This is a role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves fast, and cares deeply about shipping real products that customers use.
What You'll DoOwn features end-to-end — from design through shipping and iteration — with minimal PM oversight.
Build and maintain backend systems, APIs, data models, and automation pipelines.
Integrate with external tools, legacy systems, and third-party services.
Design workflows and orchestration for AI/automation-driven product features.
Debug production issues and exercise strong engineering judgment under pressure.
Collaborate closely with founders, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders in a hybrid San Francisco setting.
Balance full-stack work when required, with a clear emphasis on backend ownership.
Required:
Backend-focused software engineering with hands-on experience designing, implementing, and shipping customer-facing features.
Demonstrated ownership of the full feature lifecycle — ideation, implementation, and iteration based on customer feedback.
Track record of shipping real products, ideally in 0-to-1 or ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
Must be legally eligible to work in the US without employer sponsorship.
Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate; hybrid/in-office presence required.
Nice to Have:
Experience with applied AI, agentic workflows, RAG pipelines, or LLM-enabled features.
Python proficiency (modern web/backend stacks considered — engineering quality matters more than specific stack).
Systems integration experience with external APIs and legacy platforms.
Early-stage startup experience or founding engineer background.
Not a fit if you are: frontend-only, data/internal-tools-only, pure DevOps/SRE without product ownership, pure research ML without shipping experience, or primarily motivated by corporate titles.
Compensation & BenefitsBase salary: up to $275,000 depending on experience.
Equity: meaningful equity package.
No visa sponsorship available.
San Francisco, CA — hybrid/on-site. Candidates must be based in SF or willing to relocate.
- ...Product Engineer We are looking for a Product Engineer with 2+ years of experience to join a fast-moving LegalTech startup transforming... ...the U.S. immigration experience through AI. This is a backend-leaning, full-stack role where you will own meaningful product...BackendImmediate start
NxT Level
San Francisco, CA1 day ago $180k - $285k
...AI Product Engineer - Series B Healthcare AI (SoMa, San Francisco) San Francisco (SoMa) · 4... ...running clinical reasoning. Roughly 65% backend, 35% frontend on the first hire. Python... ...over the next six months, then holding lean for a long time. The patterns and tooling...BackendFull timeH1bRelocationOverseasVisa sponsorshipRelocation packageHorizonAI Talent
San Francisco, CA2 days ago$160k - $200k
...Industry: B2B SaaS, AI, Fintech The Role As a Founding Engineer, you would join a small, product-minded engineering team and own core features end-to-... ...fast-growing pricing and quoting platform. This is a backend-leaning full-stack role with real scope: you would ship the...BackendFull timeH1bVisa sponsorshipDavid Joseph & Company
San Francisco, CA22 days ago$150k - $250k
...lifecycle, from development through production. Trusted by Woven by Toyota,... ...looking for an outstanding engineer to push our platform to the... ...your work forward. But as a lean and high trust team, we... ...the technologies we use. - Backend: Python - Frontend: Typescript...BackendWork at officeFlexible hoursEncord
San Francisco, CAa month ago$200k - $250k
...the company Our client is a lean, profitable AI infrastructure company... ...is building its second major product. The role We are hiring a Founding AI Product Engineer to work directly with the... ...will own important parts of the backend API, dashboard, and developer experience...BackendFull timeRelocationVisa sponsorshipRaydar
San Francisco, CA18 days ago$120k - $200k
...About the Role This is a full-stack product engineering role at a small, fast-moving fintech company... ...' financial wellbeing. The team is lean, the ownership is real, and the work touches... ...machines in an event-driven, pub/sub backend to ensure a seamless user experience....BackendFull timeRelocationVisa sponsorship- ...Job Description Job Description AI Product Engineer Applied AI / Product Engineering | San Francisco | Hybrid About the Company... ...life. The role is primarily hands-on engineering, with a backend-leaning full-stack focus. You will collaborate closely with AI/ML...BackendFull timeCasual workH1bWork at office3 days per week
W3 Sourcing
San Francisco, CAa month ago - ...handling, isolation, and auditability Own production quality through testing, safe rollouts,... ...and design colleagues to make complex backend capabilities straightforward to use... ...Depth in developer platforms, workflow engines, Kubernetes, networking, sandboxing, identity...Backend
Jobtailor
San Francisco, CA1 day ago - ...Founding Product Engineer — Smart Bricks (USA Launch) Location: San Francisco, CA Type: Full-time Team: Founding Team (USA) Smart Bricks is... ...are A strong generalist: comfortable going from frontend to backend to data models. Product-minded: you think about users, friction...BackendFull time
Smart Bricks
San Francisco, CA1 day ago - ...to-end - interview customers every week and watch them use the product, and ship the feature they need by the next week Actually use... ...new features Work across the stack: React frontend, Python backend + infra Have ownership on product direction and approach across...BackendFull timeWork at officeRelocation
Bild AI
San Francisco, CA3 days ago $200k - $275k
...Confero Hiring Staff/Principal Software and Security Engineers for IAM, AppSec and AI Security vendors Product Engineer | AI Agents for Enterprise Compliance | $2... ...features (not infra/internal tools) Python‑heavy backend + React/TypeScript UI Direct exposure to enterprise...BackendFull timeConfero Inc
San Francisco, CA1 day ago$150k - $250k
...Francisco, CA | Early-Stage AI | Full-Time Some engineering roles ask you to own a piece of the product. This one gives you the opportunity to help shape... ...repetitive manual work Work across frontend, backend, data, infrastructure, and LLM systems Get close...BackendFull timeWork at officeMonday to ThursdayEPIC Placements
San Francisco, CA3 days ago- ...Technology Services Our client is looking for theirfirst dedicated product engineer. They are an AI driven startup to produce the data and evals... .... This is a Full Stack position with a heavy emphasis on the backend. Front end knowledge is critical as well to be a successful...BackendFull timeRemote work
Novel Technology Services
San Francisco, CA1 day ago $200k - $250k
...About the role We are looking for strong engineers to be part of the next stage of Mondrio’... ...You own whole modules of our growing product suite end to end: scope with customers,... ...robust, extensible, and secure. Build backend-heavy product areas. Current examples:...BackendContract workWork at officeImmediate startVisa sponsorshipWorky Ltd
San Francisco, CA1 day ago- ...is based in San Francisco and includes engineers, designers, and operators from Airbnb, Palantir... ...candidate we're looking to join our product team: Product focused: There are... ...+ Typescript for our frontend Go for backend services You Might Be a Great Fit...Backend
Conversion Services
San Francisco, CA3 days ago $140k - $180k
...predictable pricing, and exceptional quality. We're hiring a Founding Product Engineer to build the platform that’s reinventing how legal work gets... ...ability (e.g., TypeScript/React on the front end, a modern backend stack, relational databases) You have built something with AI...BackendWork at officeArceus
San Francisco, CA5 days ago$180k - $240k
...Francisco. About the role You’ll own the product surface of Sauna: the interfaces people... ...where users ask for real software (its own backend, data, and URL), install it, and monitor... ...a designer. Founding or early frontend engineer who set standards from scratch....BackendFull timeWork at officeLocal areaRelocationVisa sponsorshipNight shiftDay shiftWordware Inc
San Francisco, CA1 day ago- ...Senior Product Engineer World Labs is a frontier AI research and product company advancing spatial intelligence, the next frontier beyond... ...receive usable results. Ship across the necessary layers: backend or orchestration, public API/SDK and user-facing product....BackendWork at officeVisa sponsorshipWork visaRelocation packageFlexible hours
World Labs
San Francisco, CA5 days ago - ...Senior Product Engineer @ Kato Position: Senior Product Engineer (Full-Time) Reporting to: CTO Location: San Francisco (4 days/week... ...or financial systems background Tech Stack Backend: Golang, PostgreSQL Frontend: Next.js, TypeScript, React,...BackendFull timeStart working today
Pear VC
San Francisco, CA2 days ago - ...We’re looking for a Product Software Engineer to own the product layer of our system . You’ll be responsible for the frontend experience and... ...-to-end product workflows. You’ll collaborate closely with backend/data engineers and SRE, shaping how systems come together at...BackendFull timeWork at office3 days per week
Claryo, Inc.
San Francisco, CAa month ago $150k - $300k
...About the Role This is a full-stack product engineering role at an early-stage AI recruitment tech startup, working directly alongside founders... ...balance usability and performance. Design and implement backend services, data schemas, and operational tooling including CI...BackendFull time- ...also having a positive influence on culture and happiness. Our product allows teams to stay in sync and feel connected, even in today’... ...in React and Redux (experience here is required.) Our backend uses Go and gRPC (familiarity preferable but not required.) Your...Backend
Range Labs Inc.
San Francisco, CAmore than 2 months ago - ...About the Role We’re looking for a Senior Backend or Full-Stack Software Engineer (5+ years experience) who wants to build the core systems... ...-mile healthcare delivery. At Sprinter, you’ll work on products that blend logistics, patient experience, safety, and medical...BackendFull timeTemporary workWork at officeFlexible hours
Sprinter Health
San Francisco, CAmore than 2 months ago - ...Description Job Description About the Role This is a full-stack product engineering role at an early-stage cybersecurity startup, where you will... ...ship full-stack features spanning frontend interfaces and backend services. Collaborate closely with founders and teammates...Backend
Wintermeyer Ventures
San Francisco, CA3 days ago - ...to manage runs across clouds and chips. We’re seeking a Member of Technical Staff for Product Engineering to own the surface the engine exposes, from researcher interfaces to backend services, ensuring a delightful user experience even at 16 hours a day. You’ll ship end...Backend16 hours
$150k - $350k
...Description Job Description About the Role This is a founding product engineering seat at a early-stage B2B SaaS startup building tools for... ...You'll Do Own features end-to-end across frontend and backend, from problem definition through to production. Work...BackendWintermeyer Ventures
San Francisco, CA3 days ago$150k - $200k
...Description About the Role This is a hands-on, generalist product engineering role at an early-stage ambient AI consumer startup, where you... ...-end across iOS, Apple Watch, and Mac alongside the shared backend surfaces that power them. You will work directly with product...BackendWork at office3 days per weekClera
San Francisco, CA4 days ago- ...living and is poised for nationwide scale, to hire an entrepreneurial Founding Product Engineer in San Francisco. As the third engineering hire, you will work directly with the CTO and Backend Lead to own the "last mile" of product delivery. You will take new products...Backend
Success Matcher Recruitment
San Francisco, CAa month ago $150k - $350k
...Job Description Job Description Founding Product Engineer Company: Amboras Location: San Francisco, CA (on-site) Compensation:... ...Own features from problem to production across frontend and backend. Work directly with customers: join calls, watch session replays...BackendFull timeTransparent Search Group
San Francisco, CA4 days ago- ...Job Description Product Engineer, AI Email Applications, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Required - Work From Home As Product Engineer... ...safety, and UX. - Work closely with Machine Learning (ML), backend, and client engineers on system design, evaluation, and...BackendFull timeRemote workWork from home
Parallel Partners
San Francisco, CA5 days ago
Do you want to receive more vacancies?
Subscribe and receive similar vacancies to Backend-Leaning Product Engineer. Be the first to apply!
- back-end developer San Francisco, CA
- senior backend developer San Francisco, CA
- remote back end developer San Francisco, CA
- backend software engineer San Francisco, CA
- data center design engineer San Francisco, CA
- entry level product engineer San Francisco, CA
- new product engineer San Francisco, CA
- chief design engineer San Francisco, CA
- design assurance engineer San Francisco, CA
- senior product design engineer San Francisco, CA