Senior Backend Engineer (Account)

Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default

At Proton, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and the cornerstone of democracy. Since our inception in 2014, founded by a team of scientists from CERN, we have dedicated ourselves to providing free and open-source technology to millions worldwide, ensuring access to privacy, security, and freedom online.

Our journey began with Proton Mail, the largest secure email service globally, and has since expanded to include Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. These tools empower individuals and organizations to take control of their personal data, break away from Big Tech’s invasive practices, and defeat censorship. Our work impacts hundreds of millions of lives, from activists on the front lines defending freedom to leaders in governments protecting sensitive information. In some cases, Proton’s services have even been instrumental in saving lives by enabling secure and private communications in high-risk situations.

Proton is a profitable company that does not rely upon VC funding, supporting over 100 million user accounts with a growing team of over 500 people from over 50 different countries, from the world's top companies and universities. We value intelligence, learning potential, and ambition in our hiring process. Adaptability is key as we navigate uncharted territories and redefine how business is conducted online.

Hiring at Proton is highly selective, with less than 1% of candidates hired. We believe smaller teams of exceptional talent will always prevail over larger teams with lower talent density. You will have the opportunity work with many of the world's top minds in their fields, ranging from former international math and science olympiad winners to chess champions.

We have a global mindset and big ambitions but remain a start-up at heart. We value empowerment and flexibility and keep our structure flat to keep moving fast and avoid unnecessary politics. Tired of blending into the crowd? Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source  projects here!

The Account Team

Proton Account team owns capabilities throughout the lifecycle of our customer journeys, from the critical acquisition and signup step, to account management while utilizing our services, to effective promotions and checkout flows. The Account Team is one of the key engineering teams that are centrally positioned to contribute within all Proton's products.

Tech Stack and Tools:

• Internally our backend code is in general based on PHP/Symfony, our frontend is based on React, our mobile code is based on Kotlin (on Android) and on Swift (on iOS), with a growing shared codebase in Rust.
• All our client-code is open-source and GPL3.
• Our infrastructure runs on Kubernetes.
• Everything runs on premise in Proton's data-centers.
• To organize our work we use classic tools such as Jira and Confluence.

Impact Opportunities:

• Contributing to the definition of a new, solid architecture, for components that will be used in all Proton products.
• With strong notions of architecture and mobile experience, define powerful APIs that enable the apps to be feature rich, accommodate their different code patterns, yet let account ship features at high velocity without integration issues.
• The account team is growing fast, which will create future opportunities to lead and take ownership of significant areas of the system.

As a Backend Engineer you will play a crucial role in developing Proton's most vital services and serving over 100 million users worldwide. We expect you to be customer-centric, continuously learning, passionate about technology and usability. You are an adept at turning technical complexities into seamless user experiences. Effective teamwork, collaboration with Product, Design, APIs, and your team, and data-driven decision-making are essential aspects of this role.

Job requirements:  

• Proven experience with back-end development
• Expertise in building scalable, high-performance solutions
• Proficiency with profiling techniques and performance optimization tools
• Experience leading a team initiative from discovery to production
• Strong understanding of SQL (MySQL preferred) and data modeling best practices
• Familiarity with Redis or other caching technologies for performance optimization
• Knowledge of security best practices and experience implementing secure software solutions
• In-depth understanding of HTTP/REST, including both the development and consumption of web-based APIs
• Solid grasp of cryptographic concepts, including key exchange, and the distinction between symmetric and asymmetric encryption

Bonus points for:  

• Operational experience such as SRE or on-call, demonstrating ability to diagnose and troubleshoot complex problems for critical systems 
• Experience with Docker or similar containerization technologies  
• Experience with metrics graphing/analysis toolkits such as Grafana and OpenTelemetry  
• Experience with Python and/or Rust 
• Experience with OpenAPI specs or other API documentation frameworks 

Even if you don’t meet all the requirements listed above, but feel you could still be a great fit, please still apply.

What We Offer

• Office First:  Collaboration is easier and more effective in person, which is why we have offices in Geneva, Zurich, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, London, Vilnius, Skopje, and Taipei. You can also enjoy working from home up to 30% of the time, while enjoying great company during our three core days in the office. 
• Technology:  We provide all the devices and software you need to excel in your role, ensuring you have the best tools at your disposal to achieve your goals.
• Food:  Lunch and snacks are provided by Proton every day at our offices.
• Transport:  We will always support our employees with transport costs through subsidizing public transport, bike allowances, or parking spaces based on your office location.
• Stock Options:  At Proton, we are all owners of the company and you get stock options when you join us.
• Flexible Working:  You can define your own working hours as long as it works with team meetings.
• Learning and Development:  We are committed to your professional growth. Proton offers various learning opportunities, including training programs, conferences and events, and continual learning.
• Employee Benefits:  Comprehensive health insurance plans, competitive retirement savings options, generous vacation and leave policies, and wellness programs.
• Work that Matters:  Proton is a community-first organization, started with the support of a crowdfunding campaign and built with community input. To this day, Proton’s only source of revenue is user subscriptions. Over 100 million people trust and support Proton, and we put our users and community first in everything we do. Read more about our impact here.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, or socio-economic background, feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue, and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.

Candidate Privacy Notice

When you apply for a position, refer a candidate, or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG (Proton, we, us, or our), your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with their Service Privacy Policy.  This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills.

If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymize it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information, or if you wish to access, correct, or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at [email protected].

Proton does not accept unsolicited resumes from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton.

To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit  our privacy policy page.