Staff Software Engineer

This position will be responsible for architecting and building scalable backend systems that power personalized skincare experiences for millions of Curology customers. In this role, you will collaborate with product managers, designers, and engineering teams across the organization to translate complex business requirements into robust technical solutions. This position will require a strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and modern backend technologies.

To be successful in this position, candidates should have extensive hands-on experience designing and building microservices using Python or Node.js on AWS, with the ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor other engineers. Experience with GraphQL and gRPC is a strong plus. In this role, you will work closely with cross-functional teams to drive architectural decisions, establish engineering best practices, and ensure our platform can scale efficiently to support business growth.

Essential Duties and Job Functions:

• Design and architect scalable microservices using Python or Node.js on AWS infrastructure
• Lead technical initiatives and drive architectural decisions across multiple engineering teams
• Build robust APIs and services that support web, mobile, and internal applications
• Implement and optimize GraphQL and gRPC services for efficient data access and inter-service communication
• Execute large-scale technical projects from concept to completion with minimal guidance in a fast-paced startup environment
• Collaborate with product managers and designers to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Mentor junior and senior engineers, providing technical guidance, code reviews, and career development support
• Establish and drive best practices for code quality, testing, deployment, and system design
• Work with DevOps teams to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and observability of services
• Participate in system design reviews, technical architecture discussions, and engineering planning sessions
• Maintain and enhance existing services and integrations within our microservices ecosystem
• Contribute to technical roadmap planning, estimation processes, and technology evaluation
• Execute ad-hoc technical tasks and support cross-team initiatives as needed

• 8+ years of hands-on software engineering experience with strong backend focus
• Extensive understanding of microservices architecture and distributed systems design
• Proven experience designing and building production microservices using Python or Node.js
• Strong experience with AWS cloud services and serverless technologies
• Experience with GraphQL schema design and optimization is a strong plus
• Hands-on experience with gRPC and Protocol Buffers is a strong plus
• Proficiency with database design and optimization (SQL and NoSQL)
• Understanding of API design principles, RESTful services, and system integration patterns
• Integration experience with event-driven architectures and message queues
• General understanding of best practices in software engineering, testing, and deployment
• Knowledge of containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Proficiency with version control systems (Git) and collaborative development workflows is a MUST
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field is preferred
• Proven ability to mentor other engineers and lead technical initiatives
• Ability to balance multiple concurrent projects and competing priorities, solve complex problems quickly, take initiative and work independently
• Attention to detail, strong analytical mindset and excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments

You Will Love Working At Curology Because:

• Competitive salary and equity packages

• Comprehensive benefits: medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees; flexible spending account; 401k; mental health & wellness programs
• Minimum Time Off policy (unlimited PTO, with at least 3 weeks off) for exempt employees
• 11 company observed holidays
• Additional holidays: Curology days off (1 per quarter), 1 annual floating holiday (employee’s choice), and Gratitude Week (employees take the full week of Thanksgiving off; business critical teams observe different days)
• Paid parental leave
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Employee donation matching program
• Company-sponsored events
• Free subscription to Curology or Agency (for you and another VIP of your choice!)

Salary Range: $160k-$180k (placement in range dependent on location and experience)

Curology encourages applications from people of all races, religions, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and ages, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records Notice to Applicants under the CCPA.