As a Senior Backend Engineer, you'll take full ownership of high-impact projects that advance core company goals, focusing on building robust, privacy-centric systems. You'll guide initiatives from initial scoping through deployment and postmortem analysis, working independently and collaboratively in a remote-first environment.
What You'll Do
- Lead the design and implementation of backend systems that power consumer-facing products, ensuring performance, reliability, and testability
- Develop and enhance AI-driven features within the search experience, integrating intelligent responses while strictly preserving user privacy
- Improve Duck.ai to deliver a compelling, accessible AI chat experience for both free and premium users
- Build and maintain advanced data processing pipelines that support accurate and relevant search results
- Collaborate with distributed teams to resolve technical challenges across the privacy platform
- Provide structured mentorship to fellow engineers, supporting their technical and professional growth over time
Requirements
- At least 7 years of experience building backend systems for widely used consumer applications
- Strong grasp of data structures, algorithms, and system design principles
- Ability to assess technical tradeoffs in context of product goals and user needs
- Proven track record leading engineering projects and guiding other developers
- Skilled in data-informed decision-making, experimentation, and aligning stakeholders around technical direction
- Excellent written and verbal communication abilities, especially in remote settings
- Experience managing project lifecycles with minimal oversight
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience with AI tooling such as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), evaluation frameworks, and prompt engineering
Technical Environment
Our backend systems rely on Perl 5, Go, and Node.js. You should be comfortable working across these languages and improving systems at scale.
Benefits
- Health benefits coverage for U.S.-based team members
- Paid parental leave
- Allowance for home office setup
- Co-working space stipend
- Fully flexible schedule — no required core hours
- Annual all-hands gathering (4–5 days, travel included)
- Yearly team retreat (4–5 days, travel included)
Work Model
This is a globally remote role with no location restrictions. We expect a consistent full-time effort of about 40 hours per week, structured around your own schedule. There are no mandatory office requirements.
Culture & Values
We operate on trust, inclusivity, and autonomy. Engineers own projects end to end and are empowered to make decisions. Collaboration is remote-first, with clear communication and mutual accountability at the center.
Equal Opportunity
We are committed to fair and inclusive employment practices. All qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, ethnicity, caste, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
