Software Engineer, Backend

ABOUT THE ROLE We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale the backend infrastructure that powers 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. As a staff-level engineer, you will architect and implement core backend platforms—working 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. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Lead Backend Platform Engineering: Architect and develop scalable, high-performing backend systems and APIs powering all Pika products and services. - Own Distributed Infrastructure: Build, maintain, and enhance distributed systems and infrastructure in a cloud environment (AWS/GCP), ensuring high availability and reliability. - Drive Large-Scale Projects: Take ownership of backend features and platforms from ideation through launch and ongoing iteration. - Enable Real-Time Interactions: Develop systems to support low-latency, real-time collaboration and messaging at scale. - Integrate Generative AI Systems: Design and optimize backend features that power creative, AI-driven product capabilities. - Champion Quality & Best Practices: Lead technical discussions, review code, drive backend architectural proposals, and mentor engineers to elevate standards across the team. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - Experience: 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years in senior backend roles delivering scalable APIs and infrastructure at scale. - Technical Mastery: Deep expertise in building distributed systems, RESTful and real-time APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, etc.). -