Senior Backend Engineer (Contract to Hire)

About Ando Ando is building AI-native workforce infrastructure for the 80M hourly workers in the U.S. and hundreds of millions globally. Labor is the last broken supply chain. Forecasting, allocation, and professional identity remain fragmented across static tools and manual decision-making. Ando is rebuilding this system from first principles. We start with highly accurate AI-generated demand forecasts, move to allocation-first labor optimization, and compound value through a persistent labor graph that captures skills, reliability, availability, and performance across time and employers. Over time, this becomes a professional identity layer and intelligent system serving both enterprises and frontline workers. Ando is a Seed-stage company backed by Slow Ventures and experienced operators. We are live with real customers and entering a phase where architectural clarity, learning loops, and AI systems quality are foundational to long-term success. About the Role We're looking for a Senior Backend Engineer to own the core of our platform: a PostgreSQL data layer and Python/FastAPI services running on AWS. This role is heavy on database design and query performance, and heavy on AWS — you'll be building, running, and hardening the infrastructure our product depends on, not just writing application code. You'll shape the API contracts consumed by our Next.js web app and React Native mobile app, and help extend our AI/ML capabilities. This is a startup role. We're looking for someone who can take a loosely-defined problem, figure out the right approach with minimal hand-holding, and drive it to done. You'll get real ownership and real ambiguity — ideally at the same time. What You'll Do PostgreSQL: Design PostgreSQL schemas, indexes, and queries for a growing, high-write scheduling and forecasting workload, and own performance troubleshooting (query plans, indexing strategy, migrations) at scale. AWS: Build, operate, and harden our AWS infrastructure — Lambda, RDS, App Runner, Bedrock — using Terraform, with an eye toward cost, reliability, and security. AI-assisted engineering: You use AI agents (Claude, Bedrock, MCP-based tooling) as a core part of how you write, test, and ship code daily — this isn't optional tooling, it's how the team works. Design, build, and scale backend services in Python/FastAPI. Own REST/OpenAPI contracts and generated clients shared across our Next.js (React/TypeScript) web app and Expo/React Native mobile app. Extend AI-assisted features using AWS Bedrock, Claude, and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations. Collaborate with data/ML on forecasting pipelines built with Prophet, Pandas, and NumPy. Write and maintain pytest test suites and strengthen CI/CD gates in GitHub Actions. Participate in architecture decisions (ADRs), code review, and mentor other engineers. Partner closely with product, mobile, and data teams to ship end-to-end features — often with only a rough spec to start from. What We're Looking For 5+ years of professional backend engineering experience, including production Python (FastAPI, Flask, or Django). Strong PostgreSQL expertise: Deep, hands-on PostgreSQL experience — schema design, indexing, query optimization, and migrations in a production system, not just CRUD access. Solid AWS experience: Real ownership of AWS infrastructure — you've built and operated services on Lambda, RDS, and/or App Runner (or close equivalents), and are comfortable with IAM, networking, and cost trade-offs, ideally with Terraform. Experience designing, versioning, and documenting REST APIs (OpenAPI/Swagger) consumed by multiple client platforms. Comfortable with containerized local development (Docker / Docker Compose). Startup mindset: A self-starter who works well independently and is genuinely comfortable with ambiguity — you don't need a fully-scoped ticket to make progress, and you're willing to make a call and adjust rather than wait for perfect clarity. Strong instincts for testing, code review, and pragmatic architecture trade-offs in a fast-moving product org. Excellent written communication — you document decisions and can work asynchronously. Nice to Have Experience with ML/data tooling (Pandas, NumPy, time-series forecasting) or working alongside data science teams. Experience integrating LLM APIs or agentic tooling (Claude, Bedrock, MCP) into production products. Familiarity with Next.js/React/TypeScript, enough to collaborate across the stack on API design. Background in workforce management, scheduling, HR tech, or other vertical SaaS. Prior experience at an early-stage startup, where you owned infrastructure and data decisions with little existing precedent. Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical design for a small team. Our Stack Database: PostgreSQL (schema design, performance tuning, migrations) · Infrastructure: AWS — Lambda, RDS, App Runner, Bedrock — provisioned with Terraform · Backend: Python, FastAPI · Frontend: Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript · Mobile: Expo, React Native · ML: Prophet, Pandas, NumPy · AI Tooling: Claude, AWS Bedrock, MCP integrations · Testing/CI: pytest, GitHub Actions Culture at Ando Ando is a high-trust, high-care organization built on ownership, respect, and thoughtful collaboration. We value diverse perspectives, clear communication, and personal accountability. We move fast through alignment rather than force, operate comfortably in ambiguity, and build with empathy for the enterprises and workers our systems serve. These values are core to how we work. Candidates who share them tend to thrive at Ando. Equal Employment Opportunity, DEI & Legal Notice Ando Technologies, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. And yes, we are proudly DEI. We believe diverse perspectives make teams stronger, systems smarter, and outcomes more equitable. Building infrastructure for the frontline workforce demands empathy, representation, and respect, and we take that responsibility seriously. These values are core to how we work. Candidates who share them tend to thrive at Ando. By applying for this role, you acknowledge that any information you provide will be processed in accordance with Ando’s privacy practices and applicable data protection laws. Applicant information is used solely for recruiting and employment-related purposes. Submission of an application does not create an employment contract or guarantee of employment.