Senior Software Engineer - Backend

Senior Software Engineer – Backend

Arlington, VA

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our backend team and play a critical role in building the platform that will define CaseGuard's next chapter.

You will design and build the REST API microservices and cloud infrastructure that power our application, real-time collaboration features, and large-scale processing workers.

This role is expected to operate with a high degree of ownership. You will take responsibility for backend domains or major features and drive them end-to-end from design through production with minimal oversight.

Beyond writing excellent code, you will contribute to engineering standards, influence system design, and help scale both the system and the team.

What You Will Do

• Design and build scalable, secure REST APIs and microservices using ASP.NET Core (C#)
• Build and maintain backend workers for large-scale file processing - ingesting, analyzing, redacting, and exporting documents using ML models
• Take ownership of backend domains or major features and drive them end-to-end from design through production
• Own database design, schema decisions, and query optimization for production systems
• Design and deploy AWS cloud infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as AWS CDK
• Support real-time collaboration features for concurrent multi-user workflows
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks to ensure reliability and scalability under load
• Champion security and compliance best practices across backend systems and APIs
• Work closely with frontend engineers to design and deliver end-to-end features - defining API contracts, aligning on data flows, and ensuring correct system behavior across client and backend

Ownership & Execution

• Break down complex, ambiguous problems into well-defined tasks and execution plans
• Take ownership of ambiguous problem spaces and turn them into clear, executable designs and deliverables
• Operate with minimal guidance on implementation details while aligning with the overall architecture
• Drive execution across engineers when required - breaking down work, aligning implementation, and ensuring delivery outcomes
• Make independent technical decisions within your domain, escalating only when cross-system tradeoffs are involved
• Drive backend decisions in cross-functional work, ensuring system design is robust, scalable, and not constrained by client-side limitations
• Be accountable for the reliability, performance, and scalability of the systems you build in production

Team Contribution

• Conduct thorough code reviews and uphold engineering standards
• Participate in architectural discussions and contribute to system design decisions
• Mentor junior engineers and support their technical growth
• Contribute to hiring by reviewing technical assessments and interviewing candidates

Qualifications (Required)

• 6+ years of experience owning and delivering complex backend systems or features end-to-end
• Strong proficiency in C# and ASP.NET Core for REST API and microservices development
• Solid experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases and performance optimization
• Hands-on experience with AWS services (e.g., EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS, DynamoDB)
• Experience building scalable, production-grade systems with clear reliability and performance considerations
• Strong understanding of asynchronous processing, concurrency, and distributed system fundamentals
• Security-aware mindset with experience handling sensitive or compliance-regulated data
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively across a hybrid team

Qualifications (Preferred)

• Experience building large-scale file or document processing pipelines
• Experience with event-driven architectures and message queues (e.g., SQS, SNS, EventBridge)
• Familiarity with ML model integration or AI-powered backend systems
• Experience with real-time systems (e.g., WebSockets, SignalR)
• Practical knowledge of IaC tools such as AWS CDK, Terraform, or CloudFormation
• Experience with containerization (Docker) and orchestration platforms (Kubernetes)
• Relevant AWS certifications

What We Offer:

• Meaningful equity - we believe in sharing ownership with the people who build the company
• Competitive base salary alongside an equity-heavy compensation package
• Hybrid working - flexibility to work remotely with regular in-person collaboration
• Direct influence over architecture, engineering culture, and the technical roadmap
• Opportunity to take ownership of critical backend domains in a growing cloud platform
• A small, high-trust team that moves fast, values craftsmanship, and ships quality software
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401K
• Paid Vacation
• Ten paid holidays per year
• Friendly and Learning environment

Salary + Equity Range: $120,000 to $206,000

About CaseGuard

CaseGuard is a software company that helps law enforcement agencies, federal agencies, hospitals, schools, airports, and others manage all their media redaction needs in one easy-to-use redaction software. CaseGuard Studio is one of a kind. Our team is driven by a passion for great software design, creating great products, and creative processes; CaseGuard implements innovative ideas across multiple services and agencies. We invest in people. We nurture skills consistent with our values and our future strategy. Our passionate pursuit of excellence, the application of our creativity to solve our clients' challenges, our technical expertise, and our collaborative spirit are measures of our success.