Staff Backend Engineer (Founding Team)

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Staff Backend Engineer (Founding Team) based in India.

As the founding engineer, you will play a critical role in building a fintech product from 0 to 1 within a lean, fast-moving team. You will own the backend architecture while contributing across the stack whenever needed. The role offers significant autonomy, with the opportunity to shape both technical direction and product decisions. You will design scalable APIs, services, data models, and production systems from the ground up. AI will be an important part of your engineering workflow, from improving development efficiency to exploring AI-native product capabilities. You will work closely with the founding team and take features from initial ideas through production and iteration. This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced engineer who thrives in high-ownership environments and enjoys building with limited structure.

Accountabilities:: Take end-to-end ownership of the technology as the founding engineer, helping establish the technical foundations of a 0-to-1 product.

Design, build, and evolve robust backend systems, including APIs, services, databases, data models, and system architecture.

Own backend engineering while contributing across the stack when required to deliver product outcomes effectively.

Partner closely with the founding team to shape product direction, technical strategy, and pragmatic engineering decisions.

Take features from idea to production, including technical design, implementation, testing, deployment, monitoring, and iteration.

Make practical technology choices suited to a small, fast-moving team, balancing scalability, simplicity, reliability, and speed.

Own the reliability, performance, security, and maintainability of production systems.

Proactively identify technical challenges, investigate root causes, and implement effective solutions without waiting for detailed direction.

Use AI extensively throughout the engineering workflow to improve development speed, quality, and problem-solving.

Experiment with AI-native development approaches and contribute to AI-powered product capabilities where they can create meaningful value.

Requirements:

7–10 years of software engineering experience, with strong expertise in Node.js and TypeScript .

Extensive backend engineering experience combined with the ability and willingness to work across the full stack.

A track record of working primarily within product-based organizations and building software with a strong focus on end-user outcomes.

Proven experience taking products, platforms, or major features from 0 to 1 and bringing them into production.

Strong experience designing backend architectures, APIs, databases, distributed services, and production-ready systems.

Demonstrated ownership and independence, with the ability to make sound engineering decisions in a lean and highly autonomous environment.

Hands-on, active use of AI tools and AI-assisted workflows as part of day-to-day software engineering.

Experience building personal projects, experiments, or other work using AI, LLMs, or AI-powered development tools.

A curious, self-directed mindset with a strong appetite for continuous learning and experimentation.

Personal, open-source, or side projects that demonstrate technical curiosity beyond day-to-day professional responsibilities.

Comfort making both engineering and product decisions when requirements and processes are not fully defined.

Strong problem-solving, debugging, analytical, and communication skills.

Ability to translate product requirements into simple, scalable, maintainable technical solutions.

Benefits:

Full-time contract opportunity with a remote-first setup for candidates based in India .

Compensation structured as contract income , without standard employee salary deductions.

Depending on individual eligibility and tax circumstances, candidates may potentially claim up to 50% of gross receipts as presumptive business/professional income under applicable Indian tax provisions .

This contract structure may provide meaningful tax efficiency compared with a conventional salaried employment arrangement, subject to applicable rules and individual circumstances.

High degree of autonomy and ownership within a small, fast-moving team.

Opportunity to join at an early stage and have substantial influence over product, architecture, engineering practices, and technical direction.

Exposure to AI-native engineering practices and opportunities to build AI-powered capabilities.

Remote flexibility while working with an India-based engineering team.

Opportunity to build a product from the ground up and make decisions that directly influence its evolution and scalability.

How Jobgether works: We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team. We appreciate your interest and wish you the best!  Why Apply Through Jobgether?    Data Privacy Notice: By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Jobgether will process your personal data to evaluate your candidacy and share relevant information with the hiring employer. This processing is based on legitimate interest and pre-contractual measures under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR). You may exercise your rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection) at any time.     #LI-CL1