Software Engineer (Backend) (San Francisco)

Who is Recruiting from Scratch:

Recruiting from Scratch is a talent firm that focuses on placing the best candidate for our clients. Our team is 100% remote and we work with teams across North America, South America, and Europe to help them hire.

Title of Role: Software Engineer (Backend)
Location: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid 3 days/week in office)
Company Stage of Funding: Series B
Office Type: Hybrid
Salary: $150,000 $300,000 base + equity

Company Description

Our client is a fast-growing AI infrastructure company on a mission to make generative AI safer and more reliable. Backed by $30M+ in venture funding and trusted by Fortune 500 companies, they are the creators of one of the most widely used open-source frameworks in the machine learning data quality space (10k+ GitHub stars). Their technology helps leading organizations evaluate, detect, and correct data and model issues in AI systemspowering safer deployments of cutting-edge ML and generative AI.

Youll join a high-caliber team with a track record of world-class research and production engineering, working in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment to define the safety layer for AI.

What You Will Do

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend systems that power mission-critical AI safety products

• Develop and optimize RESTful APIs to serve customer-facing and internal applications

• Collaborate cross-functionally with ML researchers, product managers, and infrastructure engineers to productionize AI prototypes

• Work with relational databases (PostgreSQL or similar), ensuring performance and reliability at scale

• Drive backend architecture decisions to support new product capabilities and growing customer demand

• Contribute to technical discussions, code reviews, and continuous improvements in engineering best practices

Ideal Candidate Background

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong focus on backend development

• Proven track record designing, implementing, and maintaining production backend systems

• Advanced proficiency in Python (FastAPI, Flask, or similar frameworks)

• Strong experience with relational databases such as PostgreSQL

• Background in AI/ML, data infrastructure, or developer tooling industries

• Experience at top-tier technology companies or high-growth startups with a high shipping velocity

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and mission-driven environment

Preferred

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field from a top academic program

• Experience collaborating closely with research teams to translate prototypes into production systems

• Startup experience, demonstrating adaptability and comfort with ambiguity

• Familiarity with backend infrastructure and distributed systems concepts

Compensation and Benefits

• Base Salary: $150,000 $300,000 (commensurate with experience)

• Equity: 0.1% 0.3% ownership in the company

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits

• Flexible paid time off and holidays

• Hybrid work environment 3 days/week in modern San Francisco office (Financial District)

• Opportunity to make a significant impact on the safety and reliability of AI in production systems