Valence

Staff Software Engineer, Product

Valence$130K — $180K *
Enterprise Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of full stack software engineering experience
  • Proficiency in Python (Django preferred) and JavaScript with modern frameworks (e.g., React, Vue)
  • Experience in building responsive, scalable user interfaces
  • Familiarity with enterprise-grade architecture for security and performance
  • Proven ability to manage end-to-end delivery of software projects
  • Strong understanding of APIs and backend service integration
  • Ability to work in fast-paced, ambiguous startup environments

Responsibilities

  • Architect and optimize backend services for performance and reliability
  • Develop user-friendly, responsive frontend interfaces
  • Take ownership of the complete development cycle from requirements to production
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to address user challenges
  • Drive engineering best practices and CI/CD implementations
  • Mentor team members through code reviews and discussions
  • Contribute to the evolution of the engineering culture and technical roadmap

Benefits

  • Ownership of impactful projects from day one
  • Direct collaboration with executive team and strategic insights
  • Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI technologies
  • Growth in expertise in AI implementation across diverse industries
  • Recognition as a leader in AI transformation
  • Comprehensive health benefits from the start
  • Generous paid time off and family leave options
  • Equity in a growing venture-backed company
  • Culture focused on top talent and big wins
Full Job Description
The Role

As a Principal Software Engineer, Product, you will be instrumental in architecting, building, and scaling both backend systems and user-facing experiences that power our LLM-driven coaching platform. You will ship features end-to-end - from designing resilient APIs and integrating models to delivering polished interfaces in the browser - while collaborating closely with cross-functional partners in product, design, and infrastructure. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape a category-defining product used by enterprise customers worldwide.

You'll contribute to:

- Full stack architecture, development, and optimization of features spanning backend, AI/model integration, and frontend interfaces.

- Designing for scale, performance, and security in enterprise environments.

- Debugging across the stack - from model behavior and backend services to UI logic and client performance.

- Collaborating with product, design, and operations to deliver delightful, resilient user experiences.

- Helping evolve the engineering culture, tooling, hiring, and technical roadmap as the team grows.

What You'll Do
  • Build and extend critical backend services: architect APIs, integrate LLMs and related services, and optimize server-side systems for performance and reliability.
  • Develop polished frontend experiences: craft intuitive UI flows, ensure accessibility and responsiveness, and manage data flow between frontend and backend.
  • Own end-to-end delivery: from scoping requirements, writing tests, deploying code, to monitoring and observability in production.
  • Collaborate deeply: work across product, design, data, and infrastructure to solve real user problems and accelerate delivery.
  • Drive best practices: help shape engineering standards, CI/CD automation, observability, and performance benchmarking.
  • Mentor and grow: support team members through code reviews, technical discussions, and institution of scalable practices.


What We're Looking For
  • Strong full stack experience: you have shipped production-grade systems involving both backend and frontend components, and you're comfortable owning APIs and user experiences end-to-end.
  • Technical breadth/ Engineering skills: deep proficiency with Python (Django preferred) or similar languages for backend; strong JavaScript skills and familiarity with modern frameworks (e.g., React, Vue).
  • Frontend craftsmanship/ UX obsessed: experience building responsive, high-performance UI with attention to usability and scale.
  • Enterprise-grade thinking: you build for scale, performance, security, and maintainability in large, distributed environments.
  • Builder at Heart: you've architected and shipped production-grade, user-facing systems. You balance polish with speed, knowing when to prioritize craftsmanship and when to push scrappy experiments to learn fast.
  • Versatility and pragmatism: you balance sound architectural decisions with a willingness to prototype and iterate quickly when needed.
  • Customer-Centered & Product-Focused: you care as much about usability, accessibility, and adoption as you do about code quality. You think beyond "does it work" to "does it work for the user, at scale, and in enterprise environments."
  • Startup fluent: you thrive in ambiguity, value momentum over perfection, and enjoy wearing multiple hats.


What You'll Get

Ownership & Rapid Growth

- Outsized missions from day one, with direct responsibility for company-defining projects

- Work alongside the executive team with transparency into strategy and decision-making

- Influence on direction through real-time customer feedback and market insights

AI-First Operator

- Work directly with cutting-edge AI models and next-generation platforms

- Build expertise in enterprise AI implementation across Fortune 500 companies and multiple industries

- Establish yourself as a recognized leader among peers in shaping how AI transforms work at a global scale

Compensation

- Competitive salary including base + bonuses

- Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision) from day one

- Generous PTO, company-wide R&R shutdowns, and paid parental leave

- Retirement plan support for US and global employees

Equity

- Meaningful ownership in a venture-backed company at a growth inflection point

- Financial upside that comes from scaling fast

- Top-up grants as we scale and you deliver exceptional performance - your compensation grows alongside your impact

Top-Performing Culture

- A culture built for top talent: intensity to win, growth without limits, and a team that solves hard problems and celebrates big wins together

Learn more about us and meet our team here

Location and Work Environment

This role can be either remote or hybrid from our offices in New York or Toronto. Candidates must be comfortable working with colleagues in different time zones (UK), and have valid travel documents without work authorization restrictions in the US.

About Valence

Valence is a specialty chemical company that produces a range of products used in the oil and gas industry. The company's products include drilling fluids, completion fluids, and production chemicals. Valence also provides custom chemical blending services. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Learn more about Valence
Size
100 employees
Industry

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