Senior Backend Engineer

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Tenable, you will design and implement high-performance backend services primarily using Kotlin. You will develop and optimize SQL workflows to handle high data volume, build robust data processing pipelines for identity and access management, and create efficient APIs that power our security analytics engine. Your role also involves participating in code reviews, managing digital identities across cloud platforms, and ensuring compliance with security standards.

To thrive in the Senior Backend Engineer role at Tenable, candidates should have successful experience in backend development, strong proficiency in Kotlin or a similar object-oriented language, and professional-level SQL knowledge with experience in relational databases at scale. Familiarity with RESTful APIs, a solid understanding of concurrent and distributed systems, and ideally some experience in cybersecurity or identity management are also highly beneficial.

The Tenable team culture promotes collaboration and product excellence, where every voice is valued. In the Senior Backend Engineer position, you will enjoy great team spirit, regular knowledge sharing sessions, and interaction with product management and security researchers. This dynamic encourages continuous learning opportunities in cybersecurity and utilizes agile development methodologies for quick iteration cycles.

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Tenable, you'll work primarily with Kotlin and SQL. You'll also get hands-on experience with technologies like Apache Kafka, DynamoDB, AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, and Jenkins. Familiarity with microservices, container orchestration, and managing distributed systems will greatly enhance your contributions to the team.

At Tenable, growth is a priority. As a Senior Backend Engineer, you will be involved in knowledge-sharing sessions and technical discussions that promote continuous learning and professional development. The collaborative environment also fosters mentorship opportunities, allowing you to learn from experienced teammates while contributing to meaningful projects in the cybersecurity realm.

When answering this question, highlight specific projects where you've used Kotlin. Discuss how you leveraged Kotlin's features to improve performance, such as its null safety capabilities, and how it integrates into existing microservice architectures.

To effectively answer this question, describe your systematic approach: starting with analyzing execution plans, indexing strategies, and identifying bottlenecks. Providing a specific example of when you optimized a query can showcase your analytical skills.

Here, focus on the proactive measures you take to ensure compliance, such as following security best practices, conducting regular vulnerability assessments, and participating in security audits. Share experiences where your strategies effectively mitigated risks.

Provide a concise story that illustrates a challenging technical issue and how you resolved it. Highlight your problem-solving skills, and the tools or methodologies used, and discuss how this positively impacted the project or team.

In your response, emphasize the importance of collaboration in software development. Share examples of how you've worked with cross-functional teams to achieve common goals, and discuss how effective teamwork can lead to innovative solutions.

Answer this by discussing your framework for prioritization, which may include assessing project deadlines, aligning with team goals, and utilizing task management tools. Providing an example of a project where you successfully managed competing priorities would be beneficial.

Here, detail your experience in building data processing pipelines, mentioning the tools and technologies used. Discuss how you've handled data integrity, transformed data, and ensured reliability and scalability in these pipelines.

Share your approach to breaking down technical jargon into relatable terms. Provide a short story about an instance where you effectively communicated with non-technical teammates, highlighting the importance of understanding the audience.

Discuss your experience with managing applications using Kubernetes. Provide examples of how you’ve used Kubernetes to enhance scalability, ensure robustness, and streamline deployment processes, along with any challenges faced.

To answer this question, connect your passion for cybersecurity with Tenable's mission. Discuss what excites you about contributing to the team and the impact you hope to make within the organization, showing alignment with Tenable's values and culture.