Staff Backend Engineer

About Forma.ai: 

Forma.ai is a Series B startup that's revolutionizing how sales compensation is designed, managed and optimized. We handle billions in annual managed commissions for market leaders like Edmentum, Stryker, and Autodesk. 

Our growth has been fuelled by our passion for fundamentally changing and shaping how companies use sales intelligence to drive business strategy.  

We’re welcoming equally driven individuals who are excited about creating something big! 

About the team: 

Engineers on this team construct our rules-based calculating engine for processing sales commissions. This might sound simple if you have never been exposed to sales comp plans, it is not! We are low on meetings, high on accountability. Most of the team are in EST time zone but we have a few located in PST and Central as well. We are far from maintenance / progressive evolution in many areas, there is a lot of room to make a big impact in the overall design. 

What you'll be doing: 

Reporting to the Manager of Data Platform, the Staff Backend Engineer will play a critical role in the evolution of our Spark based data platform. You'll lead development efforts for our complex, data-rich platform features while being an example to the team of code quality and thoughtful software design. You will be working on the most challenging code at Forma. 

What skills / traits are we looking for: 

• Prior experience designing and building complex backend solutions. We use Python, but the language is less important than the skillset.
• Solid background in schema design and data modelling, SQL and ideally some NoSQL solutions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• History of reducing ownership cost and improve reliability and observability in a product.
• Deep appreciation for building end-to-end customer facing products with a strong sense of customer empathy .
• Interest in being involved in Forma.ai’s product direction along with establishing best development practices and processes from design to deployment , while maintaining our software solution.
• Thrive in a detail-oriented collaborative environment with Product, Engineers, and Analytics teams.
• Big plus if you have a background working with Spark, or other ETL tools / frameworks  

Technologies we use: 

• Backend: Python, Django, Postgres
• Infrastructure: AWS, Docker, GitHub Actions  

What you can expect from us: 

• Meaningful compensation. In addition to your base salary, you’ll join our employee stock ownership plan to further recognize your contributions to Forma.ai’s success 
• Healthcare coverage. We have a full benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, and a paid parental leave program 
• Learning and development. Access the resources you want to help you grow in your role by utilizing our $750 yearly training stipend 
• Growth. You’ll have a huge opportunity to build a career for yourself and gain the type of experience you’re looking for – whether that’s as an individual contributor or as a people leader

Our values: 

• Work well, together. We’re real. We have kids and pets. Mortgages and student loans. We’re in this together, so no matter how brilliant any one of us is, we always play nice with one another – no exceptions. 
• Be precise. Be relentless. We believe complacency breeds failure, so we set new goals as quickly as we achieve them. We persist in the face of adversity, learn from our mistakes, and push each other to continuously improve. The status-quo is kryptonite.
• Love our tech. Love our customers. Our platform solves a very complex problem in a currently underserved market. While everyone at Forma isn’t customer-facing, we’re all customer-focused. Maybe even slightly customer-obsessed. ­ 

Our commitment to you: 

At Forma.ai, we’re diverse by design. We’re committed to having a workforce that reflects the communities in which we live and work. We also aim to have a barrier-free recruitment and selection process. We’ll work with applicants requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process. 

We know that applying to a new role takes a lot of effort. You're encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn't precisely match the job description. There are many paths to a successful career and we’re looking forward to reading yours. 

Please note all interviews are currently being conducted virtually. 

We thank all applicants for their interest.