About this role.
Palmstreet is hiring a senior backend engineer to build Node.js services and APIs supporting its live-shopping web and mobile platform. The role combines backend architecture, high-concurrency product development, payment-adjacent systems, and hands-on DevOps ownership. The engineer will lead technical decisions for features such as instant bidding, live interactions, streaming, checkout, and scalable deployment pipelines. Candidates need 5+ years of scalable-infrastructure experience, English and Mandarin fluency, and practical experience with cloud, Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code. This is a China-remote, full-time role in a high-growth startup environment with substantial ownership.
Role DNA
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Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
4/5Salary analysis
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Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I would use stateless API and real-time gateway services behind load balancers, with a durable event stream for bid events and an authoritative, strongly consistent bidding workflow. I would implement idempotency keys, optimistic concurrency or transactional locking for bid validation, ordered event processing where necessary, and observability for latency, errors, and bid conflicts.
I would keep services stateless, use asynchronous I/O carefully, apply connection pooling and back-pressure, and move long-running work to queues or workers. I would also establish timeouts, retries with jitter, circuit breakers, health checks, structured logs, metrics, tracing, and safe rollback procedures.
I would build automated pipelines for linting, tests, security scanning, container builds, and infrastructure validation. Deployments would use immutable artifacts, environment promotion, canary or blue-green releases, automated health verification, feature flags, and a tested rollback path.
I would first map payment states, failure modes, provider contracts, reconciliation requirements, and compliance boundaries. The implementation would use idempotent payment requests, webhook signature validation, durable event records, secure handling of sensitive data, and clear monitoring for authorization, capture, refund, and settlement failures.
I would define the customer impact, system risks, and reversible options, then recommend the smallest reliable design that meets the immediate need. I would document tradeoffs, align stakeholders on success metrics, ship behind a feature flag where possible, and schedule follow-up work to address deliberate technical debt.
About Palmstreet:
Palmstreet is the #1 live shopping platform for rare plants, handmade crafts, & unique goods. Founded in 2020 by Instagram and Apple veterans, Palmstreet began as a plant identification app and quickly evolved into a trailblazer in live shopping, beginning with plant sellers. Fueled by a passionate, plant-loving community, we rapidly expanded into new categories to better serve our fast-growing audience.
Our vision is to become the “World’s Online Main Street,” bringing the charm of in-person shopping to engaging, social online experiences. Backed by top Silicon Valley VCs and powered by a nimble, empathetic team, we’ve grown our GMV by 500x in the last 18 months.
As we continue shaping the future of social commerce, we’re looking for talented individuals who are excited to grow with us and join our mission.
The Opportunity:
Palmstreet is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join the team. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will lead the team on key architectural decisions, work on core user experiences like instant bidding and live interactions, develop scalable architecture to handle millions of users, innovate core features like live streaming and checkout processes, and maintain a reliable deployment pipeline.
Responsibilities:
Build and maintain robust backend services and APIs that power both web and mobile applications using Node.js
Work closely with PM and design to build scalable products and services
Establish self as an owner of a particular component, feature, or system with expert end-to-end understanding
Successfully complete projects at large scope while maintaining a consistently high level of productivity
Take active ownership of DevOps responsibilities including CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure management, deployment automation, and system reliability
Leverage AI coding tools (Cursor, Codex, Claude Code) to accelerate development velocity and improve code quality
Qualifications:
BS (or higher) in Computer Science
Bilingual proficiency in English and Mandarin
5+ years experience building highly scalable and reliable infrastructure
Payment system experience preferred
Hands-on DevOps experience: CI/CD, infrastructure as code, containerization (Kubernetes, Docker), and cloud platforms (GCP/AWS)
Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, Codex, Claude Code) preferred
Experience building high-concurrency systems preferred
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience creating web interfaces using React, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to integrate with backend services
Your Location:
Remote – Anywhere in the China
Compensation:
Salary range: 600k – 1M RMB / year.
5 insurances + 1 housing fund(五险一金) included
Equity grants will also be provided as part of the total compensation package.
Why Join Us?
Shape the future of live shopping: Be part of a dynamic team revolutionizing the online shopping experience, combining creativity and technology to create immersive, interactive platforms for sellers and buyers alike.
Collaborate with industry pioneers: Work alongside a nimble, innovative team, backed by some of the most prestigious VCs in Silicon Valley, with opportunities to influence the product direction.
Solving complex challenges: You’ll take on complex problems that others haven’t yet been able to solve, driving innovation and pushing boundaries in your work.
Thrive in a flat, startup environment: Take full ownership of your projects while working alongside a supportive team that values collaboration and mutual respect.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:
Palmstreet is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and encourage applications from everyone—especially those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in tech. We do not discriminate on race, religion, color, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected by law.
For roles in Canada, we also comply with the Employment Equity Act.
Application Process:
We’re excited to review your application! If your experience aligns with what we’re looking for, our hiring team will reach out to schedule an initial screening call and walk you through the next steps of our interview process.
While we try our best to respond to everyone, the high volume of applications may mean we’re unable to provide individual updates if we decide not to move forward.
To stay connected and explore future opportunities, follow us on LinkedIn or visit us at https://palmstreet.app/careers.
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