7+ years of professional engineering experience with a strong backend focus
Proven track record of owning system design and architectural choices for high-scale products
Experience integrating LLMs into production systems and using AI tooling
Deep expertise in Kotlin and strong intuitions about backend architecture
Solid command of AWS and Kubernetes
Natural collaborator with the ability to align cross-functional teams
Exceptional communicator of complex architectural trade-offs
Responsibilities
Architect and own the technical direction of AI-powered products
Integrate AI models into customer-facing products with reliability and performance
Shape the architectural decisions that define product capabilities
Write high-quality code and rapidly ship proof-of-concepts
Partner with leadership to translate business goals into technical initiatives
Proactively identify and resolve systemic technical debt
Unblock engineers and raise the quality bar for the team
Benefits
Competitive health & dental insurance options effective on day one
Flexible PTO
In-office lunch twice per week for NYC and SF employees
Access to Wellhub for wellness resources
Annual stipend for professional development
Generous recharge stipend for high performers after 5 years
401k benefit available from day one
Dependent Care FSA
Paid parental leave
Fertility and adoption benefits via Carrot and Kindbody
Full Job Description
About the Role
Genius AI is building 0-to-1 AI products we expect to be a massive revenue driver, and this role sits at the center of that build. As a Staff Backend Engineer, you'll be the technical anchor for our highest-innovation teams: setting architectural direction, validating options through proof-of-concepts, and turning ambitious initiatives into clear, buildable roadmaps. This is an IC role with real leadership weight, roughly 60% architecture, planning, and technical direction, 40% hands-on building. The person in this role will be a force multiplier: unblocking engineers before they know they're stuck, making the hardest technical calls so the team doesn't lose momentum, and setting a new standard for what great backend engineering looks like at Genius AI. You won't be maintaining systems someone else designed, you'll be raising the ceiling on what this team can build, and doing it in a way that makes everyone around you better in the process.
You must be commutable to our NYC headquarters and will operate in a hybrid environment. We default to being in-office 3-4 days per week with required attendance on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
What You'll Do
Architect and own the technical direction of AI-powered products and 0-to-1 builds, weighing long-term trade-offs with precision and keeping a healthy backlog of forward-looking, build-ready work
Integrate AI models and LLMs into customer-facing products, not as experiments, but as production systems with real reliability and performance requirements
Shape how Genius AI builds with AI, your architectural decisions will define what's possible across the product for years
Write high-quality code and rapidly ship proof-of-concepts to validate architectural options and tackle the team's hardest technical challenges before they become blockers
Partner with Product, Design, and Engineering leadership to translate ambiguous business goals into well-architected initiatives with clear sequencing and minimal rework
Proactively identify and resolve systemic technical debt before it slows the team down, unblock engineers, raise the quality bar, and make the people around you disproportionately more effective
What We're Looking For
7+ years of professional engineering experience with a strong backend focus, and a track record of owning system design and architectural choices for high-scale or high-growth products
Already building with AI as a structural part of how you work, you've integrated LLMs into production systems, used AI tooling to accelerate your development workflow, and have a sharp point of view on where AI changes what's architecturally possible
Ship fast and course-correct, you're comfortable making architectural calls with incomplete information, iterating rapidly in production, and treating ambiguity as a feature of early-stage work, not a reason to slow down
Deep Kotlin expertise with strong intuitions about backend architecture, service design, and performance at scale (TypeScript experience is a plus)
Solid command of modern cloud infrastructure: AWS and Kubernetes, at the level of someone who can navigate it confidently without being a pure infra specialist
Natural collaborator who can align PMs, designers, and engineering teams around a shared technical vision and keep execution moving without friction
Exceptional communicator who can make complex architectural trade-offs legible to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders
Benefits & Perks
Competitive health & dental insurance options, effective on your first day of employment
Flexible PTO
In-office lunch twice per week for NYC and SF employees, plus late night dinner stipends
Access to Wellhub, a corporate wellness platform with discounted gym memberships, fitness classes, and mental health resources
Annual stipend for professional development and continued learning
High performers at 5 years receive a generous stipend to use however you recharge best
401k benefit: employees are eligible to contribute starting day 1 of employment
Dependent Care FSA
Paid parental leave
Fertility and adoption benefits via Carrot and Kindbody
