Senior Software Engineer, Backend

As a Senior Software Engineer, Backend at Synack, your responsibilities include designing and implementing reliable, scalable software services critical for our Penetration Testing as a Service platform. You will engage in collaborative design and code reviews, manage software through the CI/CD pipeline to production, and ensure the availability of our services. Additionally, you'll identify performance bottlenecks, integrate monitoring capabilities, and work in a cross-functional team, liaising with Product, Operations, and DevOps teams to continually enhance our cybersecurity offerings.

To qualify for the Senior Software Engineer, Backend position at Synack, you should have a BS degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience, along with over 7 years of software engineering experience. A minimum of 3 years of experience with Go programming is required, as well as strong understanding of network fundamentals and microservices architectures. Familiarity with asynchronous messaging technologies, agile methodologies, and both NoSQL and RDBMS technologies is also important for success in this role.

Synack promotes a flexible remote work environment for the Senior Software Engineer, Backend role, allowing you to work from anywhere in the U.S. This position is designed for U.S. citizens due to federal government contract requirements, and there's a strong emphasis on maintaining effective communication and collaboration within the team, ensuring all remote employees have the necessary resources and support to excel in their roles.

In the Senior Software Engineer, Backend role at Synack, you will engage with a variety of technologies, including Google Cloud Platform for container management, Docker, Kubernetes, and integration with microservices. Familiarity with REST API design, gRPC, and asynchronous messaging tools like Google PubSub and Kafka is essential for the position, as these technologies play a crucial role in maintaining the performance and scalability of our cybersecurity platform.

The salary range for the Senior Software Engineer, Backend position at Synack is between $150,000 and $200,000. The final salary is determined by various factors including your location, relevant experience, and skill set. In addition to the base salary, Synack offers a comprehensive compensation package that may include equity and various employee benefits, which reflect the company’s commitment to attracting top talent in the competitive tech landscape.

When discussing your experience with Go programming, focus on specific projects or applications you’ve worked on. Highlight the features you developed, your understanding of Go's concurrency model, and how you utilized Go's libraries and frameworks to solve engineering challenges. Employers at Synack are interested in how you can leverage Go for building scalable backend systems, so prepare to discuss code snippets or optimization techniques you've implemented.

For testing and ensuring reliability, discuss your approach to unit testing, integration testing, and performance testing. Highlight any frameworks you've used, such as BDD testing practices, and how you incorporate automated tests in your CI/CD pipeline. Mention any specific challenges you've faced in testing software in a production-like environment and how you overcame them, reflecting your proactive approach as a Senior Software Engineer.

In a cross-functional team, effective collaboration is key. Share your methods for fostering open communication, such as using collaborative tools (like Slack, Jira, or Confluence) and regular stand-up meetings to keep everyone aligned. Describe times when you successfully worked with product managers and DevOps teams to clarify requirements, resolve conflicts, or drive a project to completion, emphasizing your adaptability and teamwork skills.

Discuss your hands-on experience with microservices, focusing on how you've designed and implemented microservice components in previous projects. Describe your understanding of service communication protocols, such as REST and gRPC, and tools used for service orchestration. Highlight any challenges you faced in maintaining service reliability and scaling microservices, showcasing your ability to think architecturally as a Senior Software Engineer.

When addressing performance optimization, explain your methodology for identifying bottlenecks, such as using profiling tools or analyzing logs. Share examples from past projects where you improved response times or resource utilization, detailing the specific changes made and their impact on overall service performance. This showcases your analytical approach and reinforces your capability as a Senior Software Engineer at Synack.

When discussing Docker and Kubernetes, illustrate the projects where you've utilized these technologies effectively. Explain how you containerized applications with Docker for development and production deployments, and how you used Kubernetes for orchestrating containerized applications. Emphasize your understanding of scaling, load balancing, and ensuring high availability of services within a cloud environment, as these skills are crucial for the Senior Software Engineer role at Synack.

Highlight your experience with implementing CI/CD pipelines, detailing the tools and practices you've used. Explain how CI/CD enables rapid, reliable software delivery, streamlines version control, and minimizes downtime. Discuss specific improvements or efficiencies that CI/CD brought to your previous teams and how you envision utilizing these practices in the Senior Software Engineer, Backend position at Synack.

When discussing database technologies, differentiate between the use cases for RDBMS and NoSQL systems based on your experience. Provide insights on optimizing database queries, handling data migrations, and maintaining data integrity, along with examples of projects where you've successfully integrated database technologies into your backend systems. This demonstrates your technical breadth and depth, which is essential for the Senior Software Engineer role.

Share your approach to continuous learning, such as attending conferences, participating in online courses, or engaging in tech communities. Discuss specific topics or technologies you follow closely and how you integrate new insights into your work. This shows your proactive mindset and dedication to growth, aligning with Synack's commitment to providing innovative security solutions.

Articulate your motivations for joining Synack, focusing on your passion for cybersecurity and how Synack’s mission resonates with you. Highlight aspects of their Penetration Testing as a Service model that excite you, along with their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Share your enthusiasm for contributing to a team's success in enhancing security for global clients, showing that you align with the company's values and objectives.