Software Engineer - Backend

About this role

<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Emergent builds autonomous coding agents that replace traditional software development by generating, testing, and deploying production applications directly from plain-language intent. Our systems run in production at global scale and are used to build millions of real applications.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Since our public launch, we've crossed <strong>$100M in ARR</strong> and grown to <strong>over 10M users across 190+ countries</strong>. We're backed by <strong>Khosla Ventures, SoftBank, Google, Lightspeed, Prosus, Together, and Y Combinator.</strong></p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">We're solving the hard part of AI-driven software creation: correctness, reliability, security, and scale in real production systems. The team is built by <strong>repeat founders, Olympiad medalists, IIT & IIM alumni,</strong> and leaders from <strong>Google, Amazon, and Dropbox.</strong></p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">We're hiring builders who want ownership, speed, and impact at global scale.</p> <p><strong>The Role</strong></p> <p>We're not building another developer tool. We're building the system that replaces software development itself. As a Staff Engineer on Autonomous Systems, you will define the technical foundation for how AI agents reliably generate, test, and deploy production-grade software at global scale. This role exists for engineers who think in systems, care about correctness as much as speed, and want to solve problems that don't have playbooks.</p> <p><strong>What You'll Do:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Architect autonomous systems where AI agents reliably generate production-grade software, with feedback loops for self-correction, validation, and continuous improvement.</li> <li>Build infrastructure that supports millions of applications and real-time workloads, solving for latency, concurrency, and reliability at global scale.</li> <li>Establish standards for correctness, observability, and fault tolerance across backend, infrastructure, and AI layers.</li> <li>Collaborate deeply with AI/ML, infrastructure, and product teams to build end-to-end systems from model interaction layers to distributed execution engines.</li> <li>Debug non-deterministic systems, design for edge cases you can't enumerate, and build systems that reason, not just execute.</li> <li>Mentor engineers and influence technical culture and direction across teams.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What We're Looking For:</strong></p> <ul> <li>8+ years of experience building large-scale backend or distributed systems.</li> <li>Strong proficiency in Python and/or Go.</li> <li>Deep understanding of distributed systems, concurrency and parallelism, and system design under scale and failure.</li> <li>Proven track record of owning architecture for critical production systems, not just contributing to them.</li> <li>You think in trade-offs, simplify complex systems without dumbing them down, and have influenced engineering direction across teams.</li> <li>Experience with AI/ML infrastructure or LLM-based systems is a strong plus.</li> <li>Familiarity with Kubernetes, Docker, AWS/GCP/Azure, event-driven systems, and data infrastructure is a bonus.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Why Join Us:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Define how software gets built in the AI era, not optimize what already exists.</li> <li>Work on systems already under real-world stress at global scale, early in the company's journey.</li> <li>Small, high-agency team with zero bureaucracy and direct impact on product and architecture.</li> <li>Work alongside engineers from Google, Amazon, and Dropbox, Olympiad medalists, and repeat founders.</li> <li>Top-tier compensation and meaningful equity.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Benefits and Perks:</strong></p> <ul> <li>401(k)</li> <li>Health, dental, and vision insurance</li> <li>Unlimited Paid Time Off: take the time you need to recharge and come back refreshed</li> <li>Flexible Working Hours: work arrangements that fit your life and commitments</li> </ul> <p>Let's build the future of software together.</p> <p> </p>