About the Role

Graphika seeks an experienced senior backend developer to join our industry-leading team and help launch our enterprise platform. This position reports to Graphika’s VP of Technology.

You will be joining a high-performing and closely-knit team responsible for building the technology underpinning some of the best research into the impact social media and online technologies have on the way that we live. Our work regularly informs decision-making at the highest levels of industry and government, and Graphika was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies in 2023. If you are a backend engineer with a collaborative and flexible approach, and enjoy having an outsized impact within a smaller “startup” environment, please apply.

Areas of Responsibility

• As a Senior Backend Engineer, you will play a crucial role in designing, developing, and maintaining backend systems that will power the next generation of Graphika’s technology

• Write production-quality software in Python that is understandable, testable, and has an eye toward maintainability.

• Maintain and where necessary contribute to the design architecture of large cloud-based systems (AWS)

• Collaborate with front-end developers, product and design teams to develop and deploy new features or enhancements to the Graphika platform.

• Decompose complex architectures and service problems into simple and straightforward solutions focusing on function over form.

• Possess expert knowledge in performance, scalability, distributed architecture, and engineering best practices.

• Apply DevOps practices to optimize backend processes and infrastructure for maximum performance, scalability, and reliability.

• Develop, implement, and maintain data models that can accommodate ingestion from a large range of social data sources

• Architect and implement secure APIs and web services for internal and external users.

• Expand Graphika’s product offerings through integration with third-party providers.

• Effectively communicate (both written and oral) and collaborate with members of different functional teams.

• Troubleshoot and fix bugs 🐛.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience building scalable backends in a production environment

• Familiarity with these tools or equivalents

• Python, Ruby (bonus)

• OpenSearch, DynamoDB, RDS (Postgresql), S3

• AWS tools such as: ECS, Lambda, Kinesis, SQS, SNS

• Dev-ops tools like: Terraform, Ansible, Packer, Docker, Pulumi (bonus)

• Familiarity with AWS services and deploying applications in a cloud environment

• Ability to make informed engineering decisions based on relevant business context

• Hands-on experience with DevOps practices, including infrastructure management, continuous integration, and deployment automation

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• A passion or interest in how online information and online communities shape real-world events.

• Nice to have: experience with online and social media data sources

Areas of Responsibility

• Stock options for new joiners and high performers

• Remote and location-agnostic position within the continental U.S., with the option to work from Graphika offices in New York City or Washington, DC, if desired

• Unlimited paid time off with a company-mandated minimum of 10 days vacation time taken per year + 12 Graphika holidays

• 100% healthcare (health, vision, dental) premium coverage for employees; 50% premium coverage for families

• 401(k) matching at 2%

• Flexible working schedule agreed on an individual basis with team managers

• Company-provided mental health support, therapy, and wellbeing training for all employees

• Remote personal office setup stipend + 20% of home internet costs covered

Graphika is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.