Backend Software Engineer - Evergreen PostingThis posting is evergreen, meaning we're building a pipeline of strong candidates for anticipated openings on this team rather than filling a single, immediate role. We may reach out now or in the future as positions become available. Interviews will be conducted in-person out of our Austin, TX headquarters.Please note: we are only able to consider candidates who are U.S. citizens or current green card holders, and we are not able to provide visa sponsorship of any kind at this time, including for current or future employment.About the roleAs a Backend Software Engineer and Self, you'll build and own the services and APIs that power Self Financial's mobile app and web experiences, working alongside a high-performing team of engineers. This role is designed for someone who can operate independently, make sound technical tradeoffs, and mentor engineers earlier in their careers. You'll contribute to backend services and APIs, strengthen the team's approach to distributed systems and scalability, and build high-quality software in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with frequent releases.
We care deeply about creativity, quality, learning, and delivering reliable, secure systems to a large customer base.
What you'll do- Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs using Python, Flask, and FastAPI, with real ownership over your area of the system.
- Design and implement REST endpoints consumed by web and mobile clients, with an eye toward scalability and long-term maintainability.
- Work with relational databases (PostgreSQL/MySQL) to model data, write efficient queries, and make sound schema and indexing decisions.
- Integrate with third-party services such as payment processors, credit bureaus, messaging, and analytics tools.
- Write clean, maintainable code and provide thoughtful, constructive code reviews for other engineers.
- Apply and help reinforce best practices for testing, security, performance, and safe releases across the team.
- Collaborate with Product, Design, Frontend Engineering, QA, and your engineering manager to scope and ship user-focused improvements.
- Debug complex issues, dig into unfamiliar parts of the codebase, and deepen the team's understanding of Self's backend architecture.
- Contribute to team rituals, documentation, and continuous improvement, and help raise the technical bar for those around you.
What you bring- 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, including meaningful ownership of backend services in production.
- Strong working knowledge of Python and solid understanding of web application fundamentals.
- Solid understanding of REST APIs and how backend services communicate with clients and other systems, including tradeoffs in API design.
- Comfort with Git and common software development workflows, including code review and collaborative development practices.
- A track record of writing reliable, tested, secure, and maintainable code.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with a cross-functional team.
What makes you stand out- Professional experience with Flask or FastAPI in production environments.
- Experience using agentic engineering tools (e.g., Claude, OpenAI/Codex, Copilot) to accelerate development workflows.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience preferred.
- Strong experience with SQL and relational database design, including performance tuning.
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred), containers (Docker), or message queues in production systems.
- A track record of mentoring other engineers or leading technical initiatives, even informally.
- Personal, professional, or open-source projects that demonstrate strong backend craftsmanship and system design thinking.
Anticipated salary range for this level position: $145,000-175,000 annually. Individual pay and level is based on factors unique to each candidate, including skill set, experience, and other job-related reasons.Benefits and Perks:We have the compensation and benefits you expect. But there's one thing that Self Financial can offer that many companies cannot: we can positively change the world, while making a profit. We are a team of Builders, empowering our customers to build their dreams.
Our perks include:- Company equity in the form of Stock Options
- Performance-based bonuses
- Generous employer-paid health, vision and dental insurance coverage
- Flexible vacation policy
- Educational assistance
- Free gym membership
- Casual dress code
- Team building events and activities
- Hybrid work arrangements/schedules
- Paid parental leave
