Senior Data & Backend Engineer

Description * Work Location Note - Open to national candidates who would work remotely if not in LA area Strategic Imperative Chargie is a leading provider of intelligent, intuitive, and reliable electric vehicle charging solutions for modern commercial buildings, multifamily communities, and the growing number of EV drivers. Our vision is to create infrastructure that powers communities in the all-electric future. We are seeking a talented and motivated Senior Data & Backend Engineer to join our team and play a key role in a fast-paced startup environment. If you’re passionate about the EV revolution, we’d love to hear from you! Apply today to join Chargie and contribute to building a sustainable future. About the Role As a Senior Data & Backend Engineer, you will stand up and support the data platform that powers analytics, BI reporting, and operational visibility across one of the fastest-growing EV charging networks in the country — while also being able to step directly into backend development when the team needs additional support. This is a hybrid role at the intersection of data engineering and backend software engineering. You will own the design, build-out, and ongoing support of data pipelines and big-data infrastructure, while remaining hands-on enough to contribute to API development, debug production issues, and support backend services alongside the core engineering team. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy in a lean, high-impact team, directly shaping how data flows, is modeled, and is surfaced to the business. Beyond platform reliability, this role is an opportunity to help shape how AI is applied across the engineering organization. We are actively looking to leverage AI-powered tooling to improve internal scale, efficiency, and operational workflows — and this person will be a hands-on contributor to that effort. Key Responsibilities Design, build, and support scalable data pipelines and big-data platform infrastructure, from ingestion through transformation to reporting layers. Own data architecture and modeling decisions that support analytics, BI reporting, and operational tooling across the organization. Build and maintain BI/reporting layers and dashboards for internal stakeholders and leadership, using tools such as Power BI (Microsoft Fabric experience a plus). Step into Node.js backend development and production support as needed — contributing to internal GraphQL APIs and RESTful/event-driven services alongside the core engineering team. Design and maintain integrations with third-party platforms, vendor APIs, and IoT/OCPP-based EV charging infrastructure systems. Build and support integrations with business systems (e.g., Zoho, Atlassian, NetSuite) to connect engineering, operations, and business data. Support external reporting to vendors and utilities as this area of demand grows, providing additional coverage alongside the engineering team (a plus). Support and improve AWS infrastructure relevant to data and backend services, including deployment pipelines, monitoring, and cost optimization. Partner with engineering leads, product, and operations teams to define and deliver features supporting network management, customer experience, and enterprise integrations. Establish and uphold quality standards including code review, documentation, testing practices, and CI/CD integration across both data and backend workstreams. Leverage AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor AI) to accelerate development velocity, improve code quality, and explore AI-powered capabilities within the product. Requirements Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). 5+ years of experience spanning data engineering and backend software engineering, with a track record of standing up and supporting big-data platforms. Strong SQL skills and hands-on experience with relational databases, data modeling, schema design, and ETL/data pipeline development. Required: hands-on experience with AWS (Lambda, RDS, S3, SQS, API Gateway, or similar) and cloud-native data/backend architecture. Required: working proficiency in Node.js, with the ability to contribute to and support production backend services. Experience building and consuming GraphQL APIs; comfortable working with REST as well, particularly for external-facing reporting and integrations. Experience building or maintaining BI/reporting layers; Power BI experience preferred, Microsoft Fabric experience a plus. Experience integrating with business systems such as Zoho, Atlassian (Jira/Confluence), or NetSuite is a plus. Experience with Splunk and machine learning (ML) is a plus. Preferred (not required): experience with CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices, including tools such as Bitbucket, Jenkins, and Argo. Experience with external reporting to vendors and/or utilities (e.g., regulatory or utility data submissions) is a plus. Experience with or strong interest in AI-assisted development tools and integrating AI/LLM capabilities into data and backend workflows. Strong system-level thinking, problem-solving, and debugging skills across distributed data and backend environments. Self-directed, ownership-oriented, and comfortable with ambiguity; able to operate with a high degree of autonomy in a resource-constrained startup environment. All positions within Chargie require the following (unless otherwise specified or required for the job): Sit up to 5 hours per day Stand up to 5 hours per day Lift, carry, push up to 25 lbs. Ability to travel as required Ability to listen, read, organize thoughts, analyze, and communicate (both in verbal and written form, in English, in a concise and professional manner). Ability to type on a keyboard and utilize the computer work tools constantly and with proficiency (specifically the MS Office Suite) Timely communication and responsiveness to peers and management Regular and consistent attendance to work and meetings Ability to receive and offer feedback in a professional and positive manner Adherence to company policy and behavior in accordance with our values and norms.