About the Role
We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale the backend infrastructure powering Pika’s user-facing products. In this high-impact role, you’ll own the design and delivery of robust, scalable backend systems, APIs, and infrastructure that support real-time collaboration, AI-powered workflows, and seamless product experiences.
You’ll work closely with engineering, product, and design teams to deliver features that are reliable, performant, and secure. Your leadership in architectural decisions and backend best practices will shape the technical foundation of Pika for millions of users, helping to define both the immediate experience and the long-term direction of our core backend platforms.
What You’ll Do
Architect and develop scalable, high-performing backend systems and APIs powering all Pika products and services
Build, maintain, and enhance distributed systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), ensuring high availability and reliability
Take ownership of backend features and platforms from ideation through launch and ongoing iteration
Develop systems to support low-latency, real-time collaboration and messaging at scale
Design and optimize backend features that power creative, AI-driven product capabilities
Lead technical discussions, review code, drive backend architecture proposals, and mentor engineers to elevate standards across the team
What We’re Looking For
5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years in senior backend roles
Deep expertise in building distributed systems, RESTful and real-time APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, etc.)
Strong system design skills for reliable, scalable backend services for high-traffic applications
Track record of launching impactful backend features that balance technical quality with business needs
Proven ability to independently lead complex projects, troubleshoot problems, and deliver impactful solutions
Excellent written and verbal communication, able to thrive in cross-functional teams
Nice to Have
Experience with real-time collaboration platforms, creative tools, or media-rich applications
Familiarity with integrating generative AI or agent-based systems
Experience at high-growth startups or in rapidly evolving settings
Competitive coding, hackathon, or open-source contributions
Our Stack
Python, Go, Node.js, Postgres, Redis, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP