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Senior Backend Engineer

San Francisco, California, United States

Interested in working on cutting-edge blockchain technology and creating equitable access to the global financial system? Since 2014, the mission-driven team at the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has helped fuel the tremendous growth of the Stellar blockchain network, an open-source platform that operates at high-scale today. Developers and companies around the world build on it, and the SDF team is expanding to support the rapidly growing and changing Stellar ecosystem.

You’ll join a team of talented engineers designing APIs, backend services, and tools that serve a diverse range of users—from individual developers to institutions. Whether you're passionate about infrastructure, scaling systems, or shaping the developer and end-user experience, you'll be working on high-impact projects at the intersection of blockchain and finance.

In this role, you will:

  • Drive end-to-end development of backend services and APIs that support the Stellar ecosystem.
  • Build, maintain, and scale reliable infrastructure and web services in support of mission-critical applications.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to understand developer or end-user needs and translate them into pragmatic solutions.
  • Optimize backend systems for performance, scale, and maintainability.
  • Contribute to our open-source efforts, including SDKs, libraries, and tools.
  • Engage in architectural design discussions, write detailed technical specifications (RFCs), and contribute to SDF’s engineering best practices.
  • Participate in code reviews and knowledge sharing across teams.

You have:

  • 4+ years of experience as a software engineer
  • Strong computer science fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design patterns.
  • Proficiency in backend development with languages such as Go, Python, Rust, Java, C++, or similar.
  • Experience deploying and operating production web services at scale.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to lead technical discussions.
  • A product-driven mindset with an interest in improving the developer or user experience.
  •  

Bonus Points if (optional):

  • Have experience working on blockchain or financial technology.
  • Are passionate about open-source software and have contributed to open-source projects.
  • Have worked on products where developers or builders are the primary users.
  • Have experience with Go.

We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $165,000 - $260,000 depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, we offer lumen-denominated grants along with the following perks and benefits:

USA Benefits/Perks:

  • Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee + any dependents
  • Flexible time off + 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break
  • Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for both non-birthing and birthing parents, as well as up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for birthing parents
  • Gym reimbursement ($80 per month)
  • Life & ADD (up to $50K)
  • Short & Long term disability
  • 401K with 4% match
  • Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts
  • Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution
  • Family building benefits through Kindbody
  • Wellbeing benefits (One Medical, Rightway, Headspace)
  • L&D budget of $1,500/year
  • Daily lunch and snacks in office
  • Company retreats

 

 

#LI-Hybrid

About Stellar
 
Stellar is more than a blockchain. Powered by a decentralized, fast, scalable, and uniquely sustainable network made for financial products and services and a thriving and passionate ecosystem that includes a non-profit organization driven by a mission, Stellar is paving the path to unlock the world’s economic potential through blockchain technology. Built with speed and low costs in mind, the Stellar network provides builders and financial institutions worldwide a platform to issue assets, and to send and convert currencies in real time creating real world utility. Founded in 2014, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) supports the continued development and growth of the Stellar network and also serves the ecosystem of NGOs, corporations, universities, small businesses, governments, and solo entrepreneurs building on the Stellar network through tooling, funding and strategic collaborations. Together, Stellar is where blockchain meets the real world.
 
About the Stellar Development Foundation
 
The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting changemakers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations. SDF also develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility. As a nonprofit foundation, SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and the Stellar ecosystem and its mission above all else.
 
We look forward to hearing from you!
 
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