Senior Software Engineer, NYT Cooking

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It's why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It's why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination.

And it's why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it's worth paying for.

About the Role, Mission or Department Overview

The New York Times is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join the NYT Cooking API team, focused on building the backend systems and APIs that power interactive, AI-driven recipe experiences across NYT Cooking. This includes features such as recipe substitutions, personalized modifications, and experienced adaptations powered by LLM technology. The team also supports core search and discovery functionality, user data services like recipe saves and ratings, and the Graph

QL infrastructure used across web and mobile platforms.

This is a collaborative and team that partners with product, design, editorial, and data teams to create seamless cooking experiences for millions of users across web, iOS, and Android. The environment is, and focused on building scalable, reliable, and observable systems that continue to evolve with the product.

This is a hybrid role reporting to the Engineering Manager within the Technology team

Responsibilities:

* Designing and building scalable APIs and backend services for web and mobile applications using Graph

QL and REST.

* Developing backend systems using modern programming languages such as Go, Ruby, Type Script, or Java.

* Working with SQL databases, Postgre

SQL, including data modeling and query optimization.

* Working with search technologies such as Elasticsearch, Open Search, or other distributed data systems.

* Monitoring, troubleshooting, and improving complex systems using observability tools such as Datadog, Sentry, logs, and dashboards.

* Working with cloud infrastructure platforms such as AWS or GCP and containerized deployment environments including Docker and Kubernetes.

* Leading projects through the full software development lifecycle from design to delivery while collaborating with partners and teams.

* Partner effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.

* Mentoring engineers through technical discussions, code reviews, collaborative, and pair programming.

* Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Basic Qualifications:

* 5+ years of experience designing and implementing scalable APIs and backend services for web and mobile applications using Graph

QL and REST.

* 5+ years of experience developing backend systems using modern programming languages such as Go, Ruby, Type Script, or Java.

* 5+ years of experience working with SQL databases, particularly Postgre

SQL, including data modeling and query performance optimization.

* 3+ years of experience working with distributed systems and search technologies such as Elasticsearch or Open Search, along with observability and troubleshooting tools including Datadog, Sentry, logs, and dashboards.

* 3+ years of experience working with cloud infrastructure platforms such as AWS or GCP and containerized deployment technologies including Docker and Kubernetes.

* Experience leading projects through the full software development lifecycle, collaborating cross-functionally with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and mentoring engineers through code reviews, pairing, and technical discussions.

Preferred Qualifications:

* Experience with Graph

QL federation and building scalable subgraphs within larger distributed architectures.

* Experience with search and recommendation technologies, including Elasticsearch relevance tuning, semantic search, and ML/LLM-driven product features.

* Strong experience with Go and/or Ruby on Rails, particularly building and maintaining API-driven services and backend systems.

* Experience with infrastructure and developer tooling, including Terraform, CI/CD pipelines (Git Hub Actions, Drone, Jenkins), automation, release engineering, and LLM evaluation tools such as Braintrust.

#LI-Hybrid

REQ-020114

The annual base pay range for this role is between:

$140,000 - $160,000 USD

For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.

For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.

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