Senior Backend Engineer

Role Overview:

As a Backend Engineer at Read.ai, your contributions will directly impact the functionality, scalability and reliability of our product. Our team is responsible for owning the service layer across the company, which includes authentication/authorization, account management, third-party integrations/ingestion, data processing orchestration, database management, and data APIs.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and develop scalable and reliable backend services and APIs that power our platform.
• Take ownership of critical components of our system, from conception to deployment and maintenance.
• Practice quality assurance best practices including unit and integration testing.
• Implement robust authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure data security and privacy.
• Optimize data processing pipelines and storage solutions.
• Integrate third-party services and data sources seamlessly into our platform.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve issues related to infrastructure and operations to ensure maximum uptime and reliability.
• Continuously evaluate and implement best practices, tools, and technologies to enhance the scalability, reliability, and maintainability of our systems.

How We Work:

Work Model: Hybrid (Tu/W/Th) in downtown Seattle office. Remote available for the right individual.

Team Structure: Small engineering teams aligned to a dedicated area of the stack (frontend, mobile, API, data, etc.).

Collaboration Style: We love using our own tools and finding ways to communicate quickly, clearly, and intentionally across our teams.

Growth and Development: Engineers at Read are given significant ownership over their work, with opportunities to make a direct impact on the product used by millions.

Why Join Us:

Impact: AI's greatest impact will be on the ability to allow people to do more, taking away mundane tasks and allowing them to focus on what matters the most.

Growth: Read.ai is the fastest growing AI-copilot and meeting notetaker in history, and is on pace to be one of the fastest growing consumer AI companies in the world, adding more than 1MM new customers every month.

Team: The team is composed of highly skilled, collaborative professionals who value open communication and knowledge sharing. There's a strong culture of technical rigor, continuous improvement, and mutual support, making it an inspiring environment for ambitious engineers.

Mission: We're set to bring AI to the masses by introducing technology designed to improve every interaction.

Stage: The company raised Series A and B in 2024 and was noted as a Top Company To Watch in 2025 by Inc Magazine.

Tools and Tech Stack:

Infrastructure: AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Postgres, Python

Frontend: React, Rust

Data: Kafka, Celery, Databricks

Must Have:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science/Engineering, or 3+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Proven experience in backend development, with proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, Java, or Go.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP).
• Experience with authentication/authorization protocols and mechanisms (e.g., OAuth, JWT).
• Familiarity with relational and non-relational databases, along with expertise in data modeling and database management.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a pragmatic and results-driven approach.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment with a high degree of autonomy and accountability.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with containerization and orchestration tools such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience with Python, Pydantic, FastAPI, and SQLAlchemy.
• Experience with multi-region cloud computing deployments.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Prior experience in a startup or fast-growing environment.

Compensation: Software Engineer positions offer a base pay range of $190,000 - $200,000, plus equity and benefits.

Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location.

Health & Wellness: We offer low-deductible health plans to ensure you and your family are well taken care of.

Time Off: Flexible time away and family leave programs to support work-life balance.

Equity: All employees receive equity as part of their compensation package.

Work Environment: Hybrid work model with downtown Seattle office access (Tu/W/Th) or remote options for the right candidate.

Important Note: Please note our company does not provide visa support or sponsorship for employees.