Staff Backend Engineer (Series B AI Startup | General Catalyst)

About the Company

Day One Partners is a search firm that partners with venture capital firms to help build high-growth startups. We lead confidential searches for leadership and critical roles across a range of company stages, industries, and functions.

About the Role

We’re working with a fast-growing infrastructure startup building a new foundation for how operational data systems are designed and evolved. The platform enables companies to adapt their internal systems as quickly as their business changes—combining modern data infrastructure, developer tooling, and AI-driven automation. As a Staff Backend Engineer, you’ll play a critical role in designing and scaling the core architecture that powers this platform. You’ll tackle complex problems across data modeling, distributed systems, and developer-facing APIs—helping create flexible, reliable systems that support real-world operational complexity.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve a highly flexible data model that supports dynamic, customer-specific configurations while maintaining strong data integrity.
• Build systems for managing and applying complex data and schema changes in live production environments.
• Develop backend infrastructure for large-scale data processing, analytics, and automation workloads.
• Create developer-friendly APIs and tooling that enable users to define and manage workflows programmatically.
• Partner closely with product and design to translate operational challenges into scalable technical solutions.
• Improve system performance, reliability, and observability across a multi-tenant platform.
• Contribute to engineering standards, mentor teammates, and help shape a high-performing technical culture.

Qualifications

• Strong experience building and scaling backend systems and data-intensive applications.
• Deep understanding of databases and data pipelines (e.g., relational, search, or graph-based systems).
• Experience designing systems that handle complex data relationships and high-volume workloads.
• Proficiency with cloud infrastructure and deploying reliable production systems.
• Ability to abstract complex problems into clear, maintainable architectures.
• Track record of owning technical projects end-to-end.

Required Skills

• Strong experience building and scaling backend systems and data-intensive applications.
• Deep understanding of databases and data pipelines (e.g., relational, search, or graph-based systems).
• Experience designing systems that handle complex data relationships and high-volume workloads.
• Proficiency with cloud infrastructure and deploying reliable production systems.
• Ability to abstract complex problems into clear, maintainable architectures.
• Track record of owning technical projects end-to-end.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with data modeling frameworks or schema management systems.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, versioning strategies, or workflow orchestration.
• Exposure to developer tooling, infrastructure platforms, or internal systems design.
• Experience in high-growth or early-stage environments.

Pay range and compensation package

Salary: $200,000 – $280,000 annually

• Equity participation aligned with long-term company growth.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) with immediate eligibility.
• Flexible paid time off and company holidays.
• Wellness, commuting, and home office stipends.
• Daily in-office meals and fully stocked workspace.
• Relocation support available.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and ensure equal opportunity in our hiring process. If you require accommodations at any stage, we will work with you to meet your needs.