Senior Software Engineer, Backend

<p>fal is the generative media ecosystem powering the next generation of AI products. We build the infrastructure, tools, and model access that teams need to move from idea to production, and do it at scale without compromise. For developers and enterprises, fal is the foundation that makes generative media not just possible, but practical: a unified platform where high-performance inference, orchestration, and observability come together to unlock new categories of AI-native products.</p> <p>As generative media reshapes industries across a market projected to grow by hundreds of billions over the next decade, fal is becoming the ecosystem that ambitious teams build on.</p> <h2>About this role:</h2> <p><br>This role is ideal for engineers who thrive on complex distributed systems and have deep experience with backend APIs, relational databases, and event-driven architectures. You’ll build high-performance, reliable solutions across cloud-native platforms and global infrastructure for a fast-scaling, commerce-driven company.</p> <h3><strong>Responsibilities</strong></h3> <ul> <li> <p>Identify, design, and develop foundational backend services that power Fal's commerce platform</p> </li> <li> <p>Partner with product teams to understand functional requirements and deliver solutions that meet business needs</p> </li> <li> <p>Write clear, well-tested, and maintainable software and IaC for both new and existing systems</p> </li> <li> <p>Analyze and improve the robustness and scalability of existing distributed systems, APIs, databases, and infrastructure</p> </li> <li> <p>Conduct design and code reviews, create developer documentation, and develop testing strategies for robustness and fault tolerance</p> </li> </ul> <h3><strong>Requirements</strong></h3> <ul> <li> <p>5+ years of demonstrated experience in building large scale, fault tolerant, distributed systems and API microservices</p> </li> <li> <p>Expert-level programmer in one or more of Python, Go, Or Rust</p> </li> <li> <p>Experience designing, analyzing and improving efficiency, scalability, and stability of various system resources</p> </li> <li> <p>Proficiency in writing and maintaining Infrastructure as Code (IaC)</p> </li> <li> <p>Proficiency in version control practices and integrating IaC with CI/CD pipelines.</p> </li> <li> <p>Experience with payment processors (e.g. Stripe) and billing systems a plus</p> </li> <li> <p>Experience with Kubernetes, or containers a plus</p> </li> <li> <p>Experience building and operating data infrastructure (Kinesis, Airflow, Kafka, etc) a plus</p> </li> </ul> <h3><strong>What we offer at fal:</strong></h3> <ul> <li> <p>Interesting and challenging work</p> </li> <li> <p>Competitive salary and equity</p> </li> <li> <p>A lot of learning and growth opportunities</p> </li> <li> <p>We offer relocation assistance to San Francisco.</p> </li> <li> <p>Health, dental, and vision insurance (US)</p> </li> <li> <p>Regular team events and offsite</p> </li> </ul> <h3><strong>Compensation:</strong></h3> <ul> <li> <p>$180,000 - $250,000 + equity + comprehensive benefits package</p> </li> </ul> <h3><strong>Location:</strong></h3> <ul> <li> <p>We are currently hiring in downtown San Francisco.</p> </li> </ul>