Senior Backend & Platform Engineer (L5)

ZeroPunch is seeking an experienced Backend & Platform Engineer to help build and evolve our backend systems, cloud infrastructure, and technical architecture. You’ll work across the platform—from APIs and PostgreSQL to distributed systems and AWS infrastructure—to develop reliable, scalable, real-time products. You’ll join a team with an established technical foundation and have significant autonomy to contribute to architectural decisions, evaluate technologies, and help shape the platform’s future.

What you'll do:

• Design, build, and maintain performant APIs and backend services.
• Develop and improve our AWS infrastructure, deployments, CI/CD, and production operations.
• Design and optimize PostgreSQL for performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Build and evolve distributed systems, event-driven workflows, and real-time synchronization.
• Apply sound architectural principles and design patterns to create maintainable, extensible systems.
• Improve observability, security, testing, and system reliability.
• Collaborate on technical direction, evaluate technology choices, and drive architectural improvements.

We'd love to hear from you if you have:

• 5+ years of backend engineering experience building and maintaining production systems.
• Strong knowledge of software architecture, design patterns, and engineering principles.
• Experience designing distributed systems and event-driven architectures.
• Strong PostgreSQL experience, including schema design, indexing, transactions, and performance tuning.
• Experience designing production APIs and working with cloud infrastructure, particularly AWS.
• Experience with asynchronous processing, messaging, and real-time systems.
• A track record of improving system performance, reliability, and scalability.
• The ability to independently evaluate technical trade-offs and make pragmatic architectural decisions.
• A passion for engineering excellence, simplicity, and building reliable systems.

Compensation disclosure:

DAERO welcomes candidates across a wide range of experience levels and skill sets. We hire first for character, craft, and impact; then align scope, title, and compensation accordingly. The US base salary range for this full-time role is $180,000-$280,000 per year + equity + benefits. Offers are location-adjusted, and may differ from the US benchmark depending on where you live, in addition to your skills and experience.

DAERO is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and are committed to building a diverse, inclusive team. If you require accommodations during the application process, please let us know. Applicants have rights under federal and state employment laws. View required notices here.