Backend Engineer - Pump

As a Backend Engineer at Pump.co, your primary responsibilities will include collaborating with the team to design and implement both backend and frontend systems, driving the technical direction of our AI-powered platform, and ensuring our application meets user needs. You'll also maintain and enhance development processes, tools, and workflows to keep our operations running smoothly.

To succeed as a Backend Engineer at Pump.co, you should have a BS or MS in Computer Science or a related field, along with 5-7 years of experience in backend or backend-leaning full-stack roles. Strong proficiency in Python and modern frontend frameworks, ideally React and Next.js, will be essential. Experience with cloud services, container orchestration systems like Kubernetes, and SQL or NoSQL databases is a plus.

At Pump.co, you'll find a transparent, collaborative, and fast-paced culture. We prioritize innovation and winning as a team, which is reflected in our flat organizational structure. As a Backend Engineer, you’ll have the opportunity to influence both the product and the company's values, fostering a dynamic and engaging environment.

To enhance your chances of being hired as a Backend Engineer at Pump.co, you should showcase strong communication skills for collaborating with cross-functional teams, as well as a knack for creating prototypes and experimenting quickly. Proficiency in Kubernetes, AWS knowledge, and experience managing teams would also be beneficial for your application.

Pump.co offers a competitive salary and equity package, premium healthcare coverage, unlimited PTO, and reimbursements for continuous learning and professional developments. Additionally, you will enjoy company-paid team retreats multiple times a year, creating an enriching work environment.

In your answer, outline specific projects where you utilized Python, discussing frameworks you used, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. Highlight tools or libraries (like Flask or Django) to show depth of understanding.

Talk about best practices such as writing clean, modular code, using version control, and conducting peer reviews. Discuss your experience with refactoring and leveraging design patterns to enhance code maintainability.

You should explain how Kubernetes is used for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Share examples of how it has improved your workflow or helped solve specific deployment issues.

Discuss your approach to communication, tools like Slack or Jira for project tracking, and how you prioritize stakeholder input. Mention experiences where collaboration led to improved project outcomes.

Share specific instances where you identified technical debt and took steps to address it, whether through refactoring, setting aside time for upgrades, or educating your team about the implications of technical debt.

Provide a detailed example of a complex issue you encountered, outlining your thought process, the solution you implemented, and the positive impact it had on the project or team.

Discuss specific APIs you've designed or worked with, the frameworks used (like Express.js or Flask), and the trade-offs considered between REST and GraphQL. Highlight challenges faced and how user needs were prioritized.

Explain your methods for writing unit tests, integration tests, and ensuring code coverage. Mention any tools you’ve used like Jest or Postman and how you handle test results or bugs.

Detail your evaluation process, focusing on scalability, consistency, and specific use cases. Discuss experiences with both SQL and NoSQL databases and how you’ve chosen the right solution for different scenarios.

Articulate your enthusiasm for Pump.co’s mission in cloud cost optimization, and how your skill set aligns with their goals. Be specific about what excites you about working with their technology or team culture.