Senior Backend Engineer

The Role

As a Founding Engineer at Straia, you’ll work directly with a small team including directly with our CEO (Ryan), CTO (Alan) and CPO (Nikki) to design, build, and scale the core infrastructure of our platform.

This is a 0 → 1 opportunity to shape not just the product, but the engineering culture, architecture, and trajectory of the company. You’ll ship fast, make key technical decisions, and help define how AI can power the next generation of enterprise data intelligence.

We’re specifically looking for someone who consistently raises the bar. The kind of engineer whose default speed and judgment increase the velocity of everyone around them. If you thrive when expectations are high and the pace is fast, you’ll feel right at home. 🙂

• Build the core platform — architect and implement services spanning data ingestion, query orchestration, and agentic AI workflows
• Ship end-to-end features across our React + Node.js + Postgres stack, integrating directly with LLMs like GPT, Gemini, and Claude
• Scale infrastructure on GCP for performance, reliability, and data security
• Collaborate with users (university data teams and administrators) to translate real problems into elegant, powerful solutions
• Lay the foundation for Straia’s engineering culture, best practices, and technical roadmap
• Prototype fast, iterate faster — your work will directly shape how education leaders experience AI in their daily decision-making

• 3–7 years of experience building and shipping full-stack applications, with a strong emphasis on backend systems (Node.js, Type Script, Postgres)
• Deeply technical
  , with a track record of building scalable, high-quality software
• Startup-minded — you thrive in ambiguity, love building from scratch, and see constraints as creative fuel
• Mission-driven — excited to improve education through technology that makes institutions smarter, faster, and more equitable
• Collaborative and high-agency — you take initiative, value clear communication, and have the instincts of an owner, not an employee
• AI-curious or experienced — exposure to LLMs, vector databases, or prompt engineering is a plus

• Frontend: React + Vite
• Backend: Node.js + Express, orchestrating data and AI agent workflows
• Data Layer: Postgres + DuckDB for fast queries
• LLM Integration: GPT, Gemini, Claude via API
• Cloud & Infra: Hosted on GCP

• Compensation: $160K–$225K + equity
• Location: San Francisco (in office 4 days a week)
• Benefits: Health (platinum insurance), dental, and vision