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Staff Software Engineer

Zest for Tech
United States
Full-time
19,000,000 – 23,000,000 / year

Staff Software Engineer - Remote - up to $230k

We’re partnered with a well funded health-tech startup using AI to support users on their platform through everyday mental health and life challenges. With proven product market fit and backing from leading investors, the company is now scaling their team. This role offers the opportunity to shape system design, drive technical direction and build robust production ready AI enabled software at a pivotal stage of growth.

What you’ll do

* Design and evolve backend systems that scale with real users, high traffic, and real world constraints

* Shape technical direction by proposing architectures, abstractions, and service boundaries that create long term leverage

* Take loosely defined problems and turn them into clear, testable solutions through iteration and experimentation

* Build and refine APIs and services that support complex workflows and data-driven products

* Work across system boundaries when needed from infrastructure and reliability to developer experience and product flows

* Set a high bar for engineering quality through hands-on contribution, review, and technical leadership

What you’ll bring

* Extensive experience building and operating production software systems

* Strong backend engineering skills, with Python as a primary language

* Proven experience designing APIs (REST and/or GraphQL) and service-oriented architectures

* Background working with distributed systems and cloud platforms (GCP or similar)

* Confidence designing systems that handle concurrency, scale, and operational reliability

* Sound engineering judgment around testing strategies, performance trade-offs, and system resilience

* Experience influencing technical decisions beyond your immediate scope or team

* Comfort working in environments where requirements evolve and solutions emerge through discovery

What’s on offer

* $190k - $230k base + equity

* Flexible working arrangements

* Generous time off policy

* Dedicated budget for learning, development, and technical growth

Applications go to the hiring team directly