Staff Software Engineer, Backend

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend based in Netherlands.

This is a high-impact backend engineering role focused on building and scaling developer infrastructure that powers integrations between applications and the real world.

You will own critical backend systems, APIs, and services from initial concept through production and ongoing improvement.

The role offers significant influence over technical direction, product strategy, and the evolution of the developer experience.

You will work closely with developer customers to understand integration challenges and turn them into practical, scalable solutions.

As a senior technical contributor, you will help drive performance, reliability, scalability, and engineering quality across the platform.

You will also contribute to open-source development and collaborate with a highly autonomous, distributed engineering team.

This opportunity is ideal for an experienced backend engineer who combines deep technical expertise with strong product judgment and developer empathy.

Accountabilities

• Design, build, and scale backend systems, APIs, and services that support a developer-focused integration platform.
• Develop high-quality developer interfaces, including APIs, SDKs, user interfaces, and backend runtimes that deliver an excellent developer experience.
• Own critical engineering initiatives end-to-end, from ideation and technical design through implementation, deployment, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate directly with developer customers to understand integration challenges, troubleshoot complex issues, and translate feedback into product improvements.
• Optimize backend services for performance, scalability, reliability, and operational resilience as usage grows.
• Influence the technical roadmap and broader product strategy through strong ownership of architectural and engineering decisions.
• Contribute to and maintain open-source projects, engaging with the developer community and improving the platform based on real-world needs.
• Provide technical leadership through thoughtful design decisions, pragmatic problem-solving, incident participation, and support for other engineers.
• Help shape engineering practices and standards while maintaining a strong focus on developer experience and product outcomes.

Requirements

• 10+ years of backend software engineering experience for a Staff-level position, with a demonstrated ability to build and scale high-traffic production systems.
• Deep expertise in backend engineering, developer infrastructure, APIs, databases, and performance-critical systems.
• Strong hands-on experience with Node.js and modern backend technologies and architectures.
• Proven experience designing scalable, reliable, and maintainable backend services and distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of API design, developer tooling, software architecture, and best practices for building excellent developer experiences.
• A genuine interest in developer infrastructure, integrations, open-source software, and improving developer workflows.
• Strong product mindset and developer empathy, with the ability to connect technical decisions to customer and business outcomes.
• Experience working directly with customers or users to investigate technical challenges and develop effective solutions.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• High ownership, autonomy, and reliability, with the ability to make sound decisions and navigate ambiguity in a fast-moving startup environment.
• Pragmatic, positive, and low-ego approach to teamwork, including a willingness to step in during incidents and help unblock colleagues.
• Comfortable working effectively in a remote-first, distributed environment.
• Availability to work from the Netherlands or another eligible location within Europe, North America, or LATAM.

Benefits

• Competitive Staff-level compensation of $140,000-$220,000, adjusted according to location.
• Equity participation, giving you an opportunity to share in the long-term value you help create.
• Remote-first work across eligible locations in Europe, North America, and LATAM.
• Significant autonomy and ownership over technical decisions, product direction, and engineering execution.
• Opportunity to work directly on developer infrastructure and integrations used by hundreds of paying customers.
• Exposure to open-source development and an active developer community.
• Close collaboration with an experienced engineering team in a high-growth startup environment.
• Opportunity to directly influence the roadmap, product specifications, and overall technical strategy.