Back to jobs

Staff Backend Engineer, Infrastructure

Remote

🧠 About Cortex

Cortex is the internal developer portal that cuts noise for developers with paved paths to production. Companies like Dropbox, Adobe, and Docker use Cortex to catalog, score, and assign action to improve service quality and velocity, so devs can get back to work that drives the business forward. 

đź“ŤLocation

We’re fully remote and welcome candidates from anywhere in the US! We have all-company offsites a few times a year where we fly the whole team out to meet in person, build stronger relationships, kick off important projects, and have fun!

🤝 The Team

We are a mighty group of ~90 passionate individuals excited about building a product that developers love. We raised $35M in Series B Funding in 2023 led by IVP with Sequoia Capital and previously raised a series A co-led by Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital. You can read more about it here.

đź’Ľ Job Summary

We are seeking a Staff Backend Engineer, Infrastructure to join our team. As the Staff Backend Engineer, Infrastructure, you will play a pivotal role in defining the architecture of our infrastructure. Working closely with engineering and product, you will spearhead the development of foundational systems that ensure scalability, reliability, and efficiency for our growing customer base.

đź’» Responsibilities

  • Define architectural standards and best practices for critical infrastructure components
  • Lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable systems
  • Implement core infrastructure technologies to support scalability and reliability
  • Provide clarity and alignment on technical direction and strategy
  • Collaborate with leadership and product teams to shape the infrastructure vision and deliver key capabilities
  • Cultivate an environment that fosters learning and growth for engineers
  • Uphold high engineering standards across the organization
  • Advocate for best practices in system design, performance optimization, and testing
  • Optimize existing infrastructure to enhance performance, scalability, and reliability

✔️Qualifications 

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience
  • 10+ years of hands-on experience designing and implementing scalable, high-performance backend systems
  • Strong problem-solving skills with a commitment to building top-quality software
  • Profound understanding of computer science fundamentals, prevalent design patterns, and engineering best practices
  • Expertise in database technologies
  • Proficiency in Kubernetes and Terraform
  • Excellent communication and collaboration abilities
  • Proven track record in mentoring and coaching engineering team members
  • Previous experience at a hyper growth startup is a plus

🌴 Perks & Benefits

  • Competitive salary and equity
  • National medical, dental & vision insurance (we cover 100%!)
  • Fully covered life insurance
  • $400 monthly perks stipend 
  • $1000 yearly Learning & Development stipend
  • 401k plan
  • Pet Insurance
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Remote & flexible working hours
  • Gender-neutral parental leave 
  • All-Company Retreats (previously San Diego, Miami, Austin)

✏️ Noteworthy

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The base pay for this role starts between $225,000-$275,000. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role is eligible for equity and benefits.

Cortex is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Cortex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please email people@cortex.io

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*
,,Google Drive,or

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Cortex’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.