Software Engineer, Backend

Palo Alto HQfull timeOn Site

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mid

$250k–$350k

H1B: no

Pika Staff Software Engineer, Backend at Pika to lead and scale backend infrastructure powering user-facing products. Own design and delivery of scalable backend systems, APIs, and infrastructure supporting real-time collaboration and AI-powered workflows.

Responsibilities

We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale the backend infrastructure that powers Pika’s user-facing products. In this high-impact role, you’ll own the design and delivery of robust, scalable backend systems, APIs, and infrastructure that support real-time collaboration, AI-powered workflows, and seamless product experiences.
As a staff-level engineer, you will architect and implement core backend platforms—working closely with engineering, product, and design teams to deliver features that are reliable, performant, and secure. Your leadership in architectural decisions and backend best practices will shape the technical foundation of Pika for millions of users.
Lead Backend Platform Engineering: Architect and develop scalable, high-performing backend systems and APIs powering all Pika products and services.
Own Distributed Infrastructure: Build, maintain, and enhance distributed systems and infrastructure in a cloud environment (AWS/GCP), ensuring high availability and reliability.
Drive Large-Scale Projects: Take ownership of backend features and platforms from ideation through launch and ongoing iteration.
Enable Real-Time Interactions: Develop systems to support low-latency, real-time collaboration and messaging at scale.
Integrate Generative AI Systems: Design and optimize backend features that power creative, AI-driven product capabilities.
Champion Quality & Best Practices: Lead technical discussions, review code, drive backend architectural proposals, and mentor engineers to elevate standards across the team.

Qualification

ExperienceTechnical MasterySystem DesignProduct FocusOwnership & InitiativeCollaboration & CommunicationCompetitive coding

Required

Experience: 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years in senior backend roles delivering scalable APIs and infrastructure at scale.
Technical Mastery: Deep expertise in building distributed systems, RESTful and real-time APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, etc.).
System Design: Demonstrated strength in designing and implementing reliable, scalable backend services for high-traffic applications.
Product Focus: Track record of launching impactful backend features that balance technical quality with business needs.
Ownership & Initiative: Proven ability to independently lead complex projects, troubleshoot problems, and deliver impactful solutions.
Collaboration & Communication: Strong written and verbal skills—thrive in cross-functional environments with product, design, and engineering peers.

Preferred

Experience with real-time collaboration platforms, creative tools, or media-rich applications.
Familiarity with integrating generative AI or agent-based systems.
Previous experience at high-growth startups or in fast-paced, evolving settings.
Competitive coding, hackathon, or open-source contributions.

Benefits

Equity/RSU

Company

Pika

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Source: ashby

Active within the past hour

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