Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Pika
Palo Alto, CA
Category Engineering
Job Description
We're looking for a Senior Backend Engineer to help shape the core infrastructure that powers Pika's products. You'll play a key role in designing and building robust, scalable backend systems — owning everything from API design and service architecture to real-time messaging infrastructure and platform integrations.

Requirements

  • 5+ years of backend engineering experience building production services at scale
  • Proficiency in modern backend technologies (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.) and frameworks (Express, FastAPI, etc.)
  • Strong understanding of distributed systems — event-driven architectures, message queues, service-to-service communication
  • Deep knowledge of database design and operations (SQL, NoSQL, data modeling, performance tuning)
  • Experience with APIs, cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP), Kubernetes, and CI/CD workflows
  • Comfort building real-time systems — WebSockets, long-polling, pub/sub patterns
  • Strong debugging and observability skills — you can trace a problem across services and fix it fast
  • Ownership mentality — you identify problems and ship solutions without waiting for specs
  • Clear communication skills and a team-first mindset

Benefits

  • Competitive salary and equity package
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