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NetBox Labs

Senior Software Backend Engineer, Foundations

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Remote from
UK, USA, LATAM
Salary
USD 85k–98k / yr
Department
Software Engineering
Employment
Full Time
Experience
Senior
Published
Apply before
4 Nov 2026
Listing views
160
Application actions
12
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AI Summary

The role, at a glance.

NetBox Labs is hiring a Senior Software Backend Engineer for its Foundations platform team, focused on core identity, authentication, access-control, and shared platform services. The engineer will design and deliver complex backend components, resolve difficult distributed-systems issues, manage technical risk, and communicate progress through milestones and design documentation. Strong Python or Go development experience, Linux and distributed-systems fundamentals, and cross-functional collaboration are required. The role also includes mentoring peers and benefits from experience with OAuth, SSO, RBAC, Kubernetes, infrastructure software, and open-source projects.

Role DNA

A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.

Job Complexity

4/5
EasyHard

Pace & Pressure

4/5
RelaxedFast-paced

Autonomy Level

5/5
GuidedFull ownership

Communication Load

5/5
IndependentCollaborative
AI insightThis is a senior ownership role involving security-sensitive platform domains, distributed backend systems, and delivery of complex components from design through production. Success requires independent technical judgment, early risk management, and the ability to influence engineers and product partners across teams.

Salary analysis

Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.

Estimated job medianBelow market
$91,500
US market range$130k–$180k
AI insightThe disclosed yearly salary range is USD 85,000–98,000, producing an offer median of USD 91,500. For a US-market senior backend/platform engineer with identity and distributed-systems responsibilities, an estimated market base-salary range is USD 130,000–180,000; actual market pay varies materially by location, company stage, and total-compensation structure.

Core skills

Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.

Backend EngineeringPlatform EngineeringPythonGoDistributed SystemsIdentity and Access ManagementAuthenticationAuthorizationLinuxKubernetes
Sample interview questions
How would you design a shared authentication and authorization service used by multiple internal products?

I would begin by defining the trust boundaries, user and service identities, token flows, policy model, and availability requirements. I would favor standards such as OAuth 2.0 and OIDC, keep authorization decisions centrally governed but resilient, and provide well-versioned APIs and SDKs. I would also build in audit logging, key rotation, observability, rate limiting, and a migration plan for existing consumers.

Tell us about a complex backend project that you broke into milestones and delivered successfully.

I would describe the desired end state, identify dependencies and highest-risk technical assumptions, then create incremental milestones that each produce a testable outcome. I would communicate timeline, ownership, and risks early through concise status updates and design reviews. When new information changes the plan, I would make the trade-offs explicit and re-sequence work while protecting the critical path.

How do you approach diagnosing a difficult distributed-systems production issue?

I first establish impact, scope, and a safe mitigation path before pursuing root cause. I use metrics, logs, traces, recent deployment history, and dependency health to form and test hypotheses, while avoiding changes that could worsen the incident. After recovery, I document the contributing factors and implement durable improvements such as better alerts, idempotency, retries, load controls, or test coverage.

What is your approach to mentoring engineers through code and design review?

I focus reviews on helping people build sound engineering judgment rather than simply prescribing fixes. I explain the reasoning behind trade-offs, ask questions that encourage ownership, and distinguish blocking correctness or security concerns from optional improvements. For design reviews, I help engineers clarify requirements, alternatives, failure modes, rollout plans, and operational considerations.

How have you incorporated AI into your software-development workflow or tooling?

I use AI as an accelerator for tasks such as drafting tests, exploring implementation alternatives, summarizing unfamiliar code paths, and generating internal tooling prototypes. I validate all outputs through normal engineering controls, including code review, tests, security checks, and careful handling of sensitive data. The goal is to reduce repetitive work while preserving correctness, maintainability, and accountable human decision-making.

This analysis is generated from the job description. Salary estimates, role characteristics and sample answers are guidance, not employer-provided facts.
Opportunity details

About this role.

NetBox Labs seeks a Senior Software Backend Engineer for the Foundations team. Foundations is the platform team that builds core services for identity, authentication, and access control. Foundations also builds shared platform primitives that other engineering teams depend on. You will own delivery of complex components within Foundations projects and act as a go-to technical expert for your area. You will report to the Foundations Engineering Manager.

Responsibilities:

  • Act as the team’s go-to expert for a core area of Foundations, such as identity, authentication, or access control.

  • Design and build backend services for the platform in collaboration with other teams.

  • Own delivery of complex components within Foundations projects, from design through production.

  • Break large projects into well-defined milestones. Communicate risk and status early.

  • Investigate and fix tough technical problems the team encounters.

  • Identify technical debt and risk before it grows into a larger business problem.

  • Mentor engineers through pairing, code review, and design review.

  • Communicate technical decisions clearly in design docs and team meetings.

  • Partner with Product and other engineering teams to align technical work with priorities.

Requirements:

  • 4+ years of software development experience, including ownership of complex backend systems.

  • Backend programming experience in Python or Go.

  • Experience in Platform Engineering or building common platform components.

  • A track record of breaking large projects into milestones and delivering on time.

  • Experience mentoring engineers through code review and design review.

  • Strong Linux and distributed systems fundamentals.

  • Comfort working across teams to align technical work with product priorities.

  • Experience with incorporating AI into a development workflow and authoring AI-enhanced tooling .

Nice to Have:

  • Experience with authentication and authorization systems (for example, OAuth, SSO, or role-based access control).

  • Experience with Kubernetes and container orchestration.

  • Experience with network management or infrastructure software (for example, NetBox).

  • Open-source contributions or project involvement.

About NetBox Labs:

NetBox Labs helps companies build and manage complex networks. We help customers accelerate network automation by delivering open, composable products and supporting the network automation community.

NetBox Labs is the commercial steward of open source NetBox, the world’s most popular network source of truth, and Orb, the next-generation open source network observability platform. Our products include NetBox Enterprise, a fully supported self-managed NetBox with advanced features, and NetBox Cloud, a secure, scalable, and reliable SaaS edition of NetBox.

NetBox powers thousands of companies, and NetBox Labs is backed by investment from Notable Capital (formerly GGV), Grafana Labs CEO Raj Dutt, Flybridge, IBM, Salesforce Ventures, and Mango Capital.

Our culture and values:

  • We own and solve problems with high attention to detail.

  • Our open source contributors, users, customers & team are all part of our community. When our community wins, we win.

  • We prioritize simplicity and think twice before adding complexity

  • Clear communication helps keep our team aligned and collaborating smoothly.

NetBox Labs is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe diverse teams build better software, and we welcome applicants of every race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, and veteran status. If you need accommodation at any point in the process, just let us know.

Apply now >

This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content.

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