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Artisan

Staff Software Engineer (Backend)

1w ago
200000 –300000 USD / yearUSALead
Artisan

Staff Software Engineer (Backend)

1w ago
200000 –300000 USD / yearUSALeadbackendai orchestrationdata processingplatform infrastructure

Build backend infrastructure for AI employees processing millions of signals to enable autonomous AI-driven sales tasks.

Responsibilities

  • You’ll build the backend that makes AI employees possible. This is a foundational engineering role.
  • We process millions of signals — lead data, email engagement, deliverability metrics, behavioral patterns — to make autonomous decisions. The backend is core to everything we do: it powers the AI, runs the platform, and determines how well Ava performs for every customer. You’ll own major parts of it.

Requirements

  • 6+ years of backend experience, ideally at a high-growth startup where you owned systems end to end
  • A 5x engineer who knows how to leverage Claude Code effectively
  • Strong experience building and operating data-intensive services at scale
  • Deep understanding of distributed systems, database performance, and API design
  • Comfortable with cloud-native infrastructure: containers, orchestration, CI/CD, and monitoring
  • Strong opinions on reliability, observability, and testing — with good judgment on when to move fast
  • Clear communicator who can explain systems to engineers and product leaders alike
  • TypeScript/Node preferred; Python, Go, or similar is fine if fundamentals are strong

How to apply

  • Introductory chat with our recruiter
  • 60-minute technical interview with an engineer
  • Second 60-minute technical interview with an engineer
  • 30-minute interview with Sam, our CPTO
  • 30-minute culture and values interview with Jaspar, our CEO

Other

  • We're building AI employees. Not chatbots. Not copilots. Autonomous digital workers that do real jobs.
  • Our first, Ava, is an AI BDR used by hundreds of companies. She researches leads, writes and sends emails in a customer's voice, runs multi-step outbound sequences, manages her own deliverability infrastructure, self-optimizes over time, and handles objections and meeting booking. She's not a tool someone uses. She's a teammate.
  • We're a YC W24 company, have raised $35M+ from investors including Y Combinator, and are at $8M+ ARR. Right now we're building Ava 2.0, a step change in what an AI employee can do. The engineering problems are hard and the surface area is enormous.
  • High-throughput AI orchestration.
  • Design and build the services and pipelines that allow Ava to process massive volumes of signals and make fast, reliable decisions.
  • Platform infrastructure.
  • Artisan replaces an entire sales stack: email infrastructure, CRM, lead database, campaign engine, inbox management, and AI coordination — all in one product. You’ll own real pieces of this platform.
  • High ownership, end to end.
  • Design it, build it, deploy it, monitor it. We don’t separate architecture from implementation. You own outcomes, not tickets.
  • You’ll ship constantly. We run a flat engineering org with minimal process and no red tape.
  • Our stack: TypeScript/Node, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kubernetes, Mastra, Temporal, Langfuse, ECS, EC2, deployed on AWS. We release continuously.
  • The problem is genuinely interesting. Autonomous AI agents interacting with real people, managing real infrastructure, and making real decisions creates backend complexity that is non-trivial and growing fast.
  • You’ll have real ownership. Small team, large scope. The systems you build directly power what customers use — no layers between you and impact.
  • The pace is high and the bar is higher. We ship weekly, iterate constantly, and expect engineers to drive outcomes.
  • Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a company with real revenue, real traction, and a clear path to a major outcome.
  • Location: San Francisco, New York, or Remote (US)
  • Team: Engineering
  • Reports to: Sam Stallings, CPTO
  • Founder mindset. Everyone acts like an owner: take initiative, think big, challenge ideas, and push for 10× outcomes.
  • Obsessed with impact. We apply the 80/20 rule, kill sunk costs quickly, and focus on what actually moves the needle.
  • Customer-first, always. Every decision starts with the customer experience.
  • High standards, every detail. Quality matters in everything we ship, from product and code to copy and design.
  • Clear, direct communication. We value candor, fast responses, and real feedback.
  • Winning team energy. Positive vibes, low ego, zero drama. We genuinely enjoy building together.
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