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Lead Backend Engineer

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Catio is building the world’s first AI-powered Copilot for Tech Architecture—helping CTOs, architects, and developers plan high-ROI architectures, modernize and optimize their tech stacks, and make faster, smarter decisions using AI-driven intelligence. Backed by top-tier VCs and led by industry experts in AI, cloud, and enterprise architecture, we aim to democratize the intelligence and know-how for designing, evaluating, and evolving world-class tech stacks across industries worldwide.

The Role: Lead Backend Engineer

This is a high-impact, IC-first leadership role where you will architect, develop, and optimize Catio’s core backend systems—spanning high-scale data pipelines, agentic AI/ML workflows, and cloud-native services powering our AI-driven platform—see here for reference. As a hands-on expert, you’ll build scalable, high-performance backend services while also driving technical leadership—helping set best practices, mentoring engineers, and shaping a world-class engineering culture.

This role goes beyond traditional backend leadership—it extends into “architecture science.” You will play a key role in shaping the core intelligence of Catio’s offering, designing mechanisms for architecture visibility, AI-powered recommendations, and architecture planning that empower technical leaders, architects, and developers. You will also help define how AI drives architecture expertise and intelligence.

We’re looking for a startup-minded, entrepreneurial engineer and leader with deep expertise in distributed systems, data pipelines, AI/ML workflows, and scalable cloud-native architectures. If you thrive in 0→1 environments, embrace a polyglot mindset, and want to build a category-defining product, this role is for you. 🚀

What you’ll do:

Design and develop scalable, reliable, and secure backend systems, including data pipelines, backend services, and observability layers, to power the core platform capabilities of Catio’s platform
Drive ML infrastructure: Collaborate with our AI teams to architect and develop our AI/ML infrastructure and workflows—integrating multi-agent AI workflows, machine learning, and analytics capabilities into our backend services
Contribute actively to the design of our architecture-focused platform, including identifying the architecture capabilities integral for our customers, identifying the engineering designs which most effectively deliver our architecture value propositions, and actively track and pioneer new architecture best practices to ensure Catio’s platform remains cutting-edge
Shape our engineering culture: Help establish and promote best practices, mentor engineers, and contribute to hiring and growing a high-trust, high-performance team
Act as a technical leader within Catio: Drive engineering excellence, ensure high code quality and performance, and foster a culture of continuous improvement
Stay ahead of emerging technologies: Keep abreast of new developments in tech architectures, backend engineering, data infrastructure, and cloud-native tooling, leveraging them to enhance our product offerings and our platform

What you bring:

7+ years of experience in backend engineering at top-tier startups or technology companies, with a strong focus on architecture, data pipelines and ML.
Deep expertise with modern design patterns and software and cloud architectures, distributed systems, and observability best practices for cloud-native architectures
A strong systems-thinking mindset and a genuine passion for solving architecture challenges experienced by CTOs and developers, and building an AI-powered tech decision intelligence and insight platform.
Experience and practice using AI tools (e.g. Copilot, ChatGPT) in developing code and building products.
Proficiency in modern backend languages and frameworks (e.g. Go, Python), with an interest in polyglot approaches and emerging technologies.
Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and performance optimization skills, with a passion for clean, maintainable code.
A dynamic mindset and high-trust personality, to effectively collaborate cross-functionally at Catio while shaping our grounded geek culture
Commitment to building in a fast-paced startup environment, shaping the foundation of a category-defining product, and seeing Catio through its bold mission
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field. Graduate degree is a bonus.

At Catio, you’ll have direct ownership in shaping a high-growth, VC-backed startup and solving deep technical challenges in software and cloud architecture, AI-powered decision intelligence, and modern enterprise SaaS. This role offers a fast trajectory for career growth, with meaningful equity and leadership opportunities as we scale. If you are a talented Backend Engineering leader with a passion for data pipelines, cloud-native architectures, and building next-generation enterprise software, we want you to apply!

Shape the Future with Catio

Join a world-class team of AI, engineering, and business leaders from Splunk, Atlassian, Dropbox, and more to build a category-defining platform.

At Catio, we offer top-tier compensation for startups at our stage, ensuring highly competitive salaries along with significant equity in a rapidly growing, VC-backed company. We are also committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace and welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities.

Join us and help revolutionize how companies plan and optimize their tech stacks using AI-driven intelligence!

Average salary estimate

$175000 / YEARLY (est.)

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$150000K

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What You Should Know About Lead Backend Engineer, Catio

As the Lead Backend Engineer at Catio in Palo Alto, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of tech architecture through our revolutionary AI-powered platform. At Catio, we are on a mission to assist CTOs, architects, and developers in planning and modernizing their tech stacks while making smarter, data-driven decisions. In this high-impact position, you will be responsible for architecting, developing, and optimizing our core backend systems, which include high-scale data pipelines and cloud-native services intimately tied to our AI technologies. Your hands-on expertise will not only lead to the development of high-performance backend solutions but also influence best practices and promote a strong engineering culture. You'll collaborate closely with our AI teams to establish state-of-the-art machine learning infrastructure, and your insights will directly influence the intelligence behind Catio’s offerings. Furthermore, your passion for innovation and problem-solving will shine as you contribute to defining how AI can elevate architecture expertise. We’re looking for an entrepreneurial spirit prepared to take on a transformative challenge in a startup environment where your contributions will be immensely valued. If you have at least 7 years of experience in backend engineering, coupled with a keen understanding of modern architecture and an enthusiastic approach to tech challenges, we want you to join our talented team. We're excited about where we're headed, and we need exceptional individuals like you to help us get there. Come lead the charge and shape tech stacks for a brighter future with Catio!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Lead Backend Engineer Role at Catio

What are the primary responsibilities of the Lead Backend Engineer at Catio?

The Lead Backend Engineer at Catio is responsible for architecting, developing, and optimizing the core backend systems, which include high-scale data pipelines and cloud-native services. This role involves collaborating with AI teams to innovate the AI/ML infrastructure and ensuring that the backend services are robust and scalable.