Backend Software Engineer, API Client (Node.js and/or Golang)
Who Are We?
Postman is the world’s leading API platform, used by more than 40 million developers and 500,000 organizations, including 98% of the Fortune 500. Postman is helping developers and professionals across the globe build the API-first world by simplifying each step of the API lifecycle and streamlining collaboration—enabling users to create better APIs, faster.
The company is headquartered in San Francisco and has an office in Bangalore, where it was founded. Postman is privately held, with funding from Battery Ventures, BOND, Coatue, CRV, Insight Partners, and Nexus Venture Partners. Learn more at postman.com or connect with Postman on X via @getpostman.
P.S: We highly recommend reading The "API-First World" graphic novel to understand the bigger picture and our vision at Postman.
The Opportunity
Please note: we at Postman try to keep levels flat so that engineering is a meritocracy. So if you see yourself or call yourself a “Senior Engineer,” an “Engineer,” or something in between, please consider applying and we’ll calibrate on level, experience, and team needs in the interview panel!
The API client is the core beating heart of the Postman product experience. It is what many users perceive as the entirety of Postman (although there is so much more!), and we have ambitious goals in 2024 and beyond to delight developers and simplify this central product experience. As part of this, we're looking for a Backend Engineer to bring depth, craft, and resilience to the infrastructure that underpins it all.
We have three major thematic goals we’re pursuing on the API Client team and you’ll be a key contributor in realizing them:
- Delight the Developer. The developer is central to Postman’s mission. We intend to meet them where they are—faster feedback cycles, GitHub-first thinking, and intuitive features that anticipate their needs and respect their time.
- Simplify request sending and debugging. Postman’s power is immense—but we must distill that power into a smooth, low-friction experience that makes common tasks effortless and advanced workflows discoverable when needed.
- Build the multi-protocol future. Postman isn’t just about REST anymore. We’re investing deeply in modern protocols—GraphQL, gRPC, WebSockets—and tying them together into a seamless, end-to-end experience.
Behind every fast, reliable API call made in Postman is a constellation of backend systems doing the heavy lifting—executing code, orchestrating local runtimes, syncing data, collecting telemetry, and providing rock-solid observability. That’s where you come in.
What You’ll Do
As a Backend Engineer on the API Client team, you’ll do more than write backend code—you’ll own critical infrastructure that directly impacts millions of developers. You’ll partner with engineers across the stack to identify bottlenecks, build scalable systems, and proactively improve our platform’s performance, reliability, and observability.
You’ll thrive here if you’re a generalist at heart with deep backend expertise—someone who isn’t satisfied with "it works" and instead asks "how does it scale," "how do we measure it," and "how do we make it better for the next 10 million users."
Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading the design and evolution of backend systems that power request sending, local runtimes, and telemetry for the API client.
- Owning our observability pipelines—building tools and instrumentation that help us identify, diagnose, and resolve issues affecting thousands of developers in real time.
- Migrating services to Kubernetes-based infrastructure with a focus on performance, security, and cost efficiency.
- Defining new baselines for clean, fault-tolerant, and maintainable services that scale across millions of users.
- Collaborating with frontend engineers, designers, and PMs to shape API client features from end to end—because we don’t believe in silos. You're not a “backend engineer.” You're an API client engineer with deep backend expertise.
About You
- Have 5+ years of backend engineering experience, with a strong foundation in Node.js and/or Golang.
- Have deep expertise and experience in Kubernetes, Docker, Grafana, and modern CI/CD infrastructure
- Have built, maintained, and scaled distributed systems in production environments.
- Think in systems: you’re passionate about observability, reliability, performance, and ensuring that these are understood by everyone on the team as it relates to our backend systems.
- Can navigate legacy codebases and leave them better than you found them.
- Communicate clearly and effectively especially in async and distributed team settings.
- See beyond your function. You’re not just writing backend code, you’re building a product experience you believe in.
Nice-to-Haves
- Familiarity with distributed tracing tools (e.g., OpenTelemetry, Jaeger).
- Knowledge of CRDTs, real-time systems, or collaborative libraries and technologies like yjs
- Past experience in developer tools or API platforms.
Why This Role?
- The API Client is used by 80% of Postman users—your work directly impacts the daily workflows of millions of developers.
- You’ll shape foundational infrastructure for one of the most loved products in the dev ecosystem.
- You’ll join a world-class team that prizes execution, engineering rigor, and solving real user problems—not just shipping code.
The reasonably estimated base salary for this role ranges from $180,000 to $240,000, plus a competitive equity package. Actual compensation is based on the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience.
What Else?
In addition to Postman's pay-on-performance philosophy, and a flexible schedule working with a fun, collaborative team, Postman offers a comprehensive set of benefits, including full medical coverage, flexible PTO, wellness reimbursement, and a monthly lunch stipend. Along with that, our wellness programs will help you stay in the best of your physical and mental health. Our frequent and fascinating team-building events will keep you connected, while our donation-matching program can support the causes you care about. We’re building a long-term company with an inclusive culture where everyone can be the best version of themselves.
At Postman, we embrace a hybrid work model. For all roles based out of San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and New York, employees are expected to come into the office 3-days a week. We were thoughtful in our approach which is based on balancing flexibility and collaboration and grounded in feedback from our workforce, leadership team, and peers. The benefits of our hybrid office model will be shared knowledge, brainstorming sessions, communication, and building trust in-person that cannot be replicated via zoom.
Our Values
At Postman, we create with the same curiosity that we see in our users. We value transparency and honest communication about not only successes, but also failures. In our work, we focus on specific goals that add up to a larger vision. Our inclusive work culture ensures that everyone is valued equally as important pieces of our final product. We are dedicated to delivering the best products we can.
Equal opportunity
Postman is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status. Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit resumes/CVs through this website or directly to managers. Postman does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency resumes. Postman will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company that does not have a signed agreement with Postman.
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