Founding Engineer, Backend
AI Summary
Founding Backend Engineer at Falconer builds and scales the backend for an AI-powered knowledge platform, owning architecture, APIs, databases, and deployment while shaping the company's technical direction.
About this role
At Falconer, we’re transforming how engineers create, access, and share knowledge with each other and their AI agents. We’re looking for a Founding Backend Engineer to help us build an AI-powered knowledge platform that companies love.
As a founding engineer, you'll have a major impact on our product development, technical direction, and culture.
Key responsibilities:
Participate in the entire product development lifecycle, including architecture, coding, testing, and deploying
Research and apply best practices in terms of infra, deployment, and containerization of our products and ML stack
Develop and maintain backend systems including API services, databases, and server-side logic
Optimize applications for maximum speed and scalability
Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code, following industry best practices—the Falconer platform will help you!
Stay updated with emerging technologies in web development and make recommendations for adopting new tools and practices
Who you are:
Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent work experience
Minimum of 5 years of experience in developing APIs or backend systems in different languages (we'll gravitate towards Python and Node.js)
You can evaluate trade-offs and propose the most appropriate storage solution (SQL, NoSQL, Vector DBs)
You have experience with event queues such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
You make containers look simple, and are the go-to person to discuss Docker or Kubernetes
You can make anything run in AWS or Google Cloud
You enjoy hard problems and open-ended assignments
You use data to make decisions, and experiment your way around hard problems
Bonus points:
You've developed products with LLMs before (extra if you've already built your own agents)
You're familiar with vector databases and similarity search
Perks and benefits:
Generous equity package
Competitive salary and benefits
401(k) retirement account
The best equipment and tools, like a spec'd out MacBook, and dev prod tools like Cursor, Claude, and Linear to help you move fast
Flexible work arrangements with in-office work or hybrid work for the right candidate
Our office is in San Francisco, just steps from Caltrain
At Falconer, we value diversity and equal opportunities. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace. If you are passionate about technology and thrive in a challenging environment, come join our team and help us shape the future of work communication.
Skills
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Market data for backend engineer roles
All reports →- Role reportBackend engineer jobs, Sep 2026: new listings up 22.7% in a weekBackend engineer new listings rose 22.7% this week to 481, with 4,949 active roles. Senior positions make up over half. Apply early to new openings.
- SeriesSalary reportsWhat employers publish in job postings, by level and workplace. Not self-reported pay.
- Market overviewState of tech hiring, September 2026: up 4.8%Tech hiring rose 4.8% month over month in September 2026, with 411,122 new listings. Customer support and account executive roles led the growth.
