Founding Backend Software Engineer

About the company Our client is an artificial intelligence company. The role Raydar is recruiting for this role on behalf of our client. Join as one of the first engineers on a small team to design the backend foundations for long-running automated software processes. The work covers system design, implementation and production operation, with substantial influence over architecture and technical direction. What you'll do - Design and build backend systems that run long-lived automated processes reliably and securely. - Build execution, state tracking and recovery mechanisms so work continues through failures and interruptions. - Create structured data models for tasks, context and workflows that automated processes depend on. - Set up automated and human review systems to measure output quality and reliability. - Implement access controls, monitoring and debugging tools. - Shape the architecture and technical direction alongside company leadership. - Take projects from initial design through production deployment, and assess which internal components could later be offered as standalone developer tools. Requirements What we're looking for - 2 to 5 years of experience building backend, distributed or workflow execution systems. - A practical record of making backend processes dependable across task state, fault recovery, access control and monitoring. - A track record of designing, deploying and operating scalable infrastructure. - Experience owning technical projects independently from design through production. - Solid grounding in core software engineering, with sound judgment about dependability, safety and speed. - Ability to diagnose failures across system boundaries. Bonus points - Familiarity with task scheduling frameworks or isolated code execution environments. - Background delivering backend systems into large organizations with strict compliance needs. - Experience serving demanding technical users. - Past leadership of a platform tool or a significant community code project. - Startup, developer-first or entrepreneurial experience. Benefits Compensation and benefits - Base salary: $200,000 to 400,000 - Equity - Health, dental and vision coverage Location and work model - New York, NY, United States - On-site, 5 days per week in office - Full-time