Software Engineer: Backend
AI Summary
A Backend Software Engineer designs, builds, and operates core backend systems for healthcare benefits, handling data models, fund flows, integrations, payments, and reliability at scale.
About this role
About the role
Thatch is rewiring how health benefits work. We build software that gives employees real control over how they use their benefits.
We’re looking for a Backend Software Engineer to design and build the core systems that power Thatch. This includes data models, fund flows, automations, and integrations that make healthcare benefits work reliably at scale. Your work ensures money moves correctly, benefits remain compliant, and complex processes work reliably. This work touches real money and real healthcare decisions. The systems you build must be correct, resilient, and built to scale.
We organize engineering around the people we serve: members, employers, and partners, so teams own end-to-end experiences and ship with speed and accountability.
What you'll do
- Design, build, and evolve backend systems that support enrollments, payments, payroll, and benefits management.
- Architect and maintain robust data models and fund flows that handle large volumes of financial transactions.
- Build integrations with payroll providers, banks, insurance carriers, and other external partners.
- Improve operational rigor through automation, tooling, monitoring, and observability.
- Partner closely with product, operations, and other engineers to solve complex business problems.
- Take ownership of production systems, including reliability, debugging, and long-term maintainability.
What we are looking for
- Experience building and maintaining backend systems in a production environment.
- A track record of shipping systems with complex business and operational implications.
- Strong ability to reason about data models, workflows, and edge cases.
- Comfort operating in ambiguous problem spaces with cross-functional tradeoffs.
- Experience mentoring other engineers or setting technical direction.
We hire engineers across multiple levels and care most about the scope you’ve owned, the impact you’ve had, and how you make decisions.
Tools and tech stack
- Ruby on Rails for backend systems.
- React and TailwindCSS for the frontend.
- Small amounts of Python and backend JavaScript where appropriate.
Prior Ruby experience is helpful but not required. We value engineers who can learn quickly and think clearly about systems.
Experience that stands out
- Work in healthcare, finance, or other complex or regulated domains.
- Experience with HR, payroll, payments, or partner-facing systems.
- Ownership of systems with real operational or financial impact.
How we work
- We move quickly and bias toward action.
- We ship early, learn from real usage, and iterate.
- We operate with trust, ownership, and high empathy.
- We value clarity over ceremony and quality over shortcuts.
What to expect
We aim to keep the process thoughtful, rigorous, and efficient. Most candidates complete it within three weeks. You can expect:
- An initial conversation with a recruiter.
- A collaborative pair programming session.
- A systems design interview and a separate conversation with one of our engineers about how we work together.
- A final conversation with engineering and company leadership.
About Thatch
We’re a fully distributed early stage company using technology to change the way America does healthcare. We’re a happy, friendly, high-velocity team. You can read more on Thatch here.
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.