7+ years of backend and infrastructure engineering, or 3 to 7 years if you've been a founding/early engineer at a sub-50-person startup, a CTO of a small company, or at a product-focused company that cares about craft

Fluency in at least one major language (Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, C++)

Strong SQL and NoSQL fundamentals

Real database fluency. intuitive schema design, uniqueness constraints at the DB level, transactions, migrations as files, double-write patterns for zero-downtime changes

Experience on AWS, GCP, or Azure

Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)

Comfort with performance profiling and optimization

A track record of shipping at startups or small teams. you've owned things end to end, not just a slice of a big-tech codebase

Side projects, open source contributions, or anything you've put into the world that has adoption. we want to see what you've built because you wanted it to exist

Exploratory communication. you think out loud, name tradeoffs, ask clarifying questions, stay low-ego when corrected

Product instinct. you notice user implications and ask about the roadmap, not just the stack

Comfort with ambiguity and high autonomy

Flexible days in office

Free lunch in the office

Competitive salary and equity

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Opportunities for professional growth and development

A collaborative team that actually works together

Competitive base salary

Competitive equity package

Medical, dental, and vision benefits