Senior Staff Backend Software Engineer, GraphQL

This position is posted by Jobgether on behalf of a partner company. We are currently looking for a Senior Staff Backend Software Engineer, GraphQL in United States.

This role offers the opportunity to shape and lead the next generation of a large-scale GraphQL platform, serving hundreds of engineers and external open-source adopters. You will drive the evolution of the global schema, influence multi-year technical roadmaps, and ensure that developer experience, reliability, and scalability are prioritized across the platform. Working closely with infrastructure, product, and cross-functional teams, you will tackle complex backend challenges, mentor senior engineers, and guide the adoption of modern development practices, including AI-assisted coding workflows. Your work will directly impact the efficiency, quality, and speed of engineering across the organization while contributing to an open-source project with global reach. This role combines hands-on engineering, strategic technical leadership, and community engagement in a collaborative and innovative environment.

• Lead the design, development, and operation of a large-scale GraphQL platform, ensuring reliability, performance, and scalability.
• Influence multi-track technical roadmaps, aligning long-term platform vision with day-to-day execution across sub-teams.
• Champion global schema evolution, enforce governance processes, and manage versioning, deprecation, and breaking-change policies.
• Mentor and grow senior engineering talent, fostering technical leadership and collaboration across the platform.
• Partner with product, infrastructure, and leadership stakeholders to align platform initiatives with strategic objectives.
• Enhance developer experience through tooling, self-service APIs, documentation, and best practices.
• Contribute to and shape the open-source Viaduct project, gathering feedback and defining future capabilities.
• Troubleshoot production issues, design robust APIs, and guide teams on GraphQL and backend engineering best practices.

Requirements:

• 12+ years of backend and platform engineering experience designing, building, and operating mission-critical distributed systems at scale.
• Proven experience leading multi-year technical roadmaps and influencing cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Deep expertise in GraphQL, API gateways, schema design, and federation, including experience leading organization-wide schema evolution.
• Strong background in developer experience and internal tooling, treating engineers as customers and prioritizing self-service and documentation.
• Hands-on experience with modern languages such as Kotlin or Java; comfortable evaluating and introducing new technologies, including AI-assisted development tools.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and influence skills, with experience presenting complex technical concepts to senior engineers and executives.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions and prioritize cross-cutting platform initiatives.
• Preferred: experience in large-scale platform engineering, open-source contributions, and familiarity with distributed system performance optimization.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary: $244,000 — $305,000 USD
• Eligibility for bonus and equity programs
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution
• Flexible remote work arrangements with occasional travel
• Employee travel credits and other perks
• Professional development opportunities and mentorship programs
• Inclusive and collaborative work culture fostering innovation and growth