[All remote jobs](https://jobicy.com/jobs.md)[![Customer.io logo](https://jobicy.com/data/server-nyc0409/galaxy/mercury/2025/06/b82146da-221.jpg)](https://jobicy.com/company/customer-io.md)[Customer.io](https://jobicy.com/company/customer-io.md) # Staff Software Engineer, Backend AI Summary Customer.io is hiring a Staff Backend Software Engineer to set technical direction for distributed messaging systems that process billions of messages each day. The role centers on Go-based architecture, reliability, scalability, cost optimization, and resolving ambiguous technical problems that span multiple squads. The engineer will establish engineering standards, mentor senior peers, improve cross-team tooling and processes, and participate in an on-call rotation. Candidates need 10+ years of distributed-systems experience, strong cloud and database expertise, and the ability to explain technical tradeoffs to senior leadership.[Apply for this job](#job-application)[View company](https://jobicy.com/company/customer-io.md)ShareRemote from[USA](https://jobicy.com/job-region/usa.md), [Canada](https://jobicy.com/job-region/canada.md), [LATAM](https://jobicy.com/job-region/latam.md)SalaryUSD 200k–240k / yrDepartment[Software Engineering](https://jobicy.com/categories/engineering.md)EmploymentFull TimeExperienceDirectorPublished6 Nov 2026Apply before6 Dec 2026Listing views52Application actions1Application toolkit ## Make your next move. Prepare your resume, explore your fit, and draft a cover letter for this opportunity. Opportunity details ## About this role. Hi, I’m Paul, VP of Engineering at [Customer.io](http://Customer.io). We’re looking for a staff engineer to set technical direction for the systems that move billions of messages a day. This isn’t a role about shipping more, faster. It’s about deciding what gets built, where the architecture needs to go next, and raising the ceiling for the engineers around you. ### About [Customer.io](http://Customer.io) Over 9,000 companies — from scrappy startups to global brands — use our platform to send billions of emails, push notifications, in-app messages, and SMS every day. [Customer.io](http://Customer.io) powers automated communication that people actually want to receive. We help teams send smarter, more relevant messages using real-time behavioral data. Under the hood: Go, React, Ember and AI help us ship fast and scale with confidence. ### What We Value Ownership at company scale You take on the problems nobody has claimed yet — the ones that span squads, have no obvious owner, and would quietly cost us a year if left alone. You either solve them or get leadership aligned to. Engineers with product taste You think like a user, not just an engineer. You connect architectural decisions to what customers actually experience, and you can explain that connection to people who don’t write Go. A healthy skepticism for “the way things are done” You retire practices that have outlived their usefulness, including ones you helped build. Best practices matter — but never more than forward motion. Force multiplication Your best quarter isn’t measured by what you shipped. It’s measured by what the department can now do that it couldn’t before. ### What You’ll Do * Shape the technical direction of our distributed messaging systems in Go — making the high-level architectural calls on mission-critical services where scale, cost, and reliability are all in tension * Take on ambiguous, high-stakes problems that cross squad and function boundaries, and drive them to a decision when the right answer isn’t obvious to anyone yet * Build consensus on contested technical questions across teams, and communicate the tradeoffs clearly enough that senior leadership can act on them * Raise the department’s bar — set quality and design standards, mentor senior engineers, and turn what you know into frameworks and documentation other teams can use without you in the room * Drive engineering process and tooling improvements that span multiple squads, not just your own * Participate in an on-call rotation as required, supporting the reliability of the systems you build * Interview and calibrate against our career ladder, giving honest, evidence-based assessments of candidates * Use AI agents to make multi-file changes by scoping the work, writing the prompt, and verifying the output ### What we’re looking for * 10+ years building scalable, distributed systems in Go (or similar statically typed languages), including several as the person others turned to on architecture * Depth across multiple systems or domains, not just one — you’ve been the recognized expert in more than one place * A track record of designing for production reality: you quantify tradeoffs in throughput, cost, and reliability rather than picking a reasonable path and defending it * Experience designing observability and recovery as first-class concerns — metrics, alerting, rollback, backpressure, checkpointing — not logging added afterward * Comfort working in cloud-native environments (AWS, GCP), with relational databases (we use MySQL) and a real understanding of performance tradeoffs * Evidence of making other engineers better: mentorship, technical writing, design review, standards that outlasted your involvement * A bias for action over perfection, and the judgment to know which decisions are worth slowing down for ### Compensation & Benefits We believe in transparency. Starting salary for this role is $200,000 – $240,000 USD (or equivalent in local currency) depending on experience and subject to market rate adjustment. This role also carries a 10% annual bonus target. In addition to base salary, this role includes an equity grant in the form of stock options, so you share in the success you help build. We know our people are what make us great, and we’re committed to taking great care of them. Our inclusive benefits package supports your well-being and growth, including 100% coverage of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and supplemental insurance premiums for you and your family. We also offer 16 weeks paid parental leave, unlimited PTO, stipends for remote work and wellness, a professional development budget, and more. See full benefits here → ### Our Process No gotchas, no trick questions – just a clear, human process designed to help both of us make an informed decision. * Application – We review everyone with care. Tell us why you’re interested. * Recruiter Call (30 mins) – Let’s chat about what you’re looking for and how we work. * Hiring Manager Interview (60 mins) – Talk with one of our hiring managers about your working style and a project you’ve owned end-to-end, plus a short AI-assisted coding exercise. * Architecture Interview (60 mins) – A collaborative system design conversation focused on scaling challenges, tradeoffs, and failure modes. * Take-Home Assignment – Complete a short, realistic task similar to what you’d work on here. * Assignment Review Call (60 mins) – Walk us through your work and discuss tradeoffs, priorities, and how you’d iterate. All final candidates will be asked to complete a background check and employment verifications as part of our pre-employment process. [Customer.io](http://Customer.io) recognizes the stifling impact of systemic injustice on diverse communities. We commit to using our influence to increase inclusion and equity within the tech industry. We strive to build an inclusive team culture, implement bias-free hiring practices, and develop community partnerships to expand our global impact. Zoom is the only video conference platform that we use, virtual interviews will be conducted using the video capability (i.e., not via the chat), and offers will be extended in writing on official [Customer.io](http://Customer.io) letterhead. Please be vigilant in all of your job search activity, and if you have any questions please contact [jobs@customer.io](mailto:jobs@customer.io). ### Join us! We believe in empathy, transparency, responsibility, and, yes, a little awkwardness. If you’re excited by what you read and want to build software that makes communication better for everyone—apply now. Show more [Apply now >](https://jobicy.com/jobs/159342-staff-software-engineer-backend.md) * ![Upload CV](data:image/svg+xml;base64,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) ### Upload your resume now To unlock remote work opportunities and be discovered by global employers. 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. ## Role DNA A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description. ### Job Complexity 5/5EasyHard ### Pace & Pressure 4/5RelaxedFast-paced ### Autonomy Level 5/5GuidedFull ownership ### Communication Load 5/5IndependentCollaborative AI insightThis is a staff-level architecture role for high-volume, mission-critical distributed systems where reliability, throughput, and cost must be balanced. It requires influencing multiple teams and leaders while solving ambiguous problems with lasting organizational impact. ## Salary analysis Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles. Estimated job median (per year)Market rate$220,000US market range (per year)$190k–$270k0$297k AI insightThe yearly pay period is inferred from the job context; it was not explicitly stated by the employer. The employer discloses a base salary range of $200,000–$240,000 USD. The annual period is inferred from the full-time staff-level US-market role and the stated annual bonus target; the disclosed base range is separate from the 10% bonus target and equity. Estimated US market base pay for comparable staff backend/distributed-systems engineering roles is $190,000–$270,000 per year. ## Core skills Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity. [Go](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Go.md)[Distributed systems](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Distributed%20systems.md)[System architecture](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=System%20architecture.md)[Cloud-native engineering](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Cloud-native%20engineering.md)[AWS](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=AWS.md)[GCP](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=GCP.md)[MySQL](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=MySQL.md)[Observability](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Observability.md)[Reliability engineering](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Reliability%20engineering.md)[Performance optimization](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Performance%20optimization.md)[Backpressure](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Backpressure.md)[Incident response](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Incident%20response.md)[Technical leadership](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Technical%20leadership.md)[Mentoring](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=Mentoring.md)[System design](https://jobicy.com/jobs?search_keywords=System%20design.md) Sample interview questionsDescribe a distributed system architecture you led that had to balance throughput, reliability, and infrastructure cost.I would begin with the business and operational constraints, quantify expected load and failure modes, and compare viable designs using measurable tradeoffs. I would explain the chosen architecture, observability signals, rollback strategy, and how I validated that it improved reliability and cost efficiency in production. How would you design a messaging platform component that can process billions of events while handling downstream failures safely? I would use durable queues or logs, idempotent consumers, partitioning for horizontal scale, backpressure controls, retry policies with dead-letter handling, and explicit delivery semantics. I would define SLOs and instrument queue depth, latency, error rate, saturation, and recovery time so the system can be operated safely. Tell us about a time you resolved a contentious architectural decision across several engineering teams. I would make the decision criteria explicit, gather evidence from prototypes and production data, and document the alternatives and their risks. I would facilitate discussion with the affected teams, align stakeholders on the tradeoffs, and publish the decision and follow-up measures so the outcome remains clear and reversible where possible. What does effective observability look like for a critical Go service? It combines actionable metrics, structured logs, distributed traces, well-defined alerts, dashboards tied to service-level objectives, and tested runbooks. I would ensure the service exposes both technical signals such as latency and saturation and domain signals such as message delivery success, then regularly validate alert quality through incidents and exercises. How do you multiply the impact of senior engineers rather than becoming the bottleneck for architecture decisions? I create reusable design principles, review frameworks, templates, and documentation that let teams make sound decisions independently. 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