Software Engineer II

Some companies build software. Others build hardware. We build whatever the problem demands.

Backburner Labs is a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy where mechanical, electrical,systems,and software engineers work together to solve complex technical challenges. From embedded systems and industrial automation to robotics, medical devices, IoT, cloud platforms,and AI-enabled applications, we help our clients build products that oftendon'texist yet.

Our clients come to us whenthe engineering is difficult, the timeline is ambitious, and thereisn'ta roadmap waiting to be followed.

They'relooking for engineers who can create one.

If that sounds exciting rather than intimidating,you'll probably enjoy working here.

You'll collaborate with talented engineers across disciplines, influence technical decisions, learnnew technologies, and help turn ideas on a whiteboard into products used in the real world. We move quickly, trust our engineers, and expect everyone to contribute ideas,not just code, designs, or specifications.

Ifyou'rethe kind of engineer who asks, "What's the hardest problem we're solving?"before asking, "What's the tech stack?",you'll probably feelright at home.

Come build whatdoesn'texist yet.

• Founded: 2019
• Company: ~50 people (full-time and contract employees)
• Current location:
  St Paul
  - St Anthony Park area
• Future location:
  Minneapolis
  - Prospect Park area (we have leaseda 43,000 sq ft building)
• Revenue: doubled every year for 5 years (more details shared later)

The Software Engineer II (SE II) is a mid-level engineering position for engineers who havedemonstratedproficiencyin core technical skills and are ready to take on greater ownership and complexity. Engineers at this level work independently on moderately complex features, contribute to technical design decisions, and begin to mentor junior team members. SE IIsareexpected to deliver reliable solutions with minimal guidance while developing the breadth and depth needed for senior-level work.

• Reports to:
  
  Principal Software Engineer
• Team: ~7
• Salary range: $!00,000 - $125,000
• Head of Talent - video call
• Principal Software Engineer- video call
  • Panel interview and tour - in person
    • Peers
    • Leadership
• Decision

Design and implement moderately complex features and systems with minimal guidance

Write clean, efficient, and well-tested code that follows team standards anddemonstratesstrong engineering judgment

Lead code reviews, providing constructive feedback to peers and junior engineers

Collaborate proactively with product managers, designers, and cross-functional teams to clarify requirements and propose technical solutions

Debug and resolve issues across development, staging, and production environments independently

Write comprehensive unit, integration, and end-to-end tests along with technical documentation

Participate actively in technical discussions, architecture reviews, and system design conversations

Mentor Software Engineer I team members through pairing, code reviews, and knowledge sharing

Contribute to team processes and tooling improvements

Take ownership of components or subsystems, including ongoing maintenance and improvement

Works independently on features and components of moderate complexity

Makes technical decisions within established architectural patterns and reviews them with senior engineers when needed

Impact extends across multiple features or components; begins to consider system-wide implications

Identifies and addresses technical debt proactively

Participates in on-call rotations and incident response

Bachelor's degree in Computer Scienceor related field, or equivalent practical experience

2-4 years of professional software engineering experience

Strongproficiencyin one or more programming languages used by the team to include: C, C++, C#,and Python

Solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, and software design patterns

Experience with version control systems (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and testing frameworks

Demonstrated ability to debug complex issues and optimize code for performance and maintainability

Understanding of software development lifecycle and Agile methodologies

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs or other service interfaces

Familiarity with database design and optimization (SQL and/or No

SQL)

Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

Knowledge of security best practices and performance optimization techniques

Experience with monitoring, logging, and observability tools

Contributions toopen source projects or technical writing

Technical Excellence:
Consistently delivers high-quality, maintainable code and thoughtful technical solutions

Ownership & Accountability:
Takes responsibility for deliverables from design through deployment and maintenance

Communication:
Articulates technical concepts clearly to both technical and…