Senior Backend Software Engineer

Overview

Senior Backend Software Engineer

Hours:

Full-time

Location:

Molg HQ in Sterling, VA (Northern Virginia)

Salary: $120-150k range, including 401k, equity, and full healthcare benefits

To tackle the growing e-waste problem, Molg enables circular manufacturing with robotics and design. Its robotic microfactories can autonomously disassemble complex electronic products, and the team partners with leading manufacturers to design electronics with reuse in mind — ensuring one product’s end is another’s new beginning.

Molg combines advanced robotics and intelligent software to transform how electronics are manufactured and recovered. Working with partners like HP, leading hyperscalers, and industrial companies such as ABB and Stanley Black & Decker, Molg’s solutions recover valuable materials from existing devices while helping create the next generation of products optimized for circularity. This dual focus on recovery and design innovation drives Molg’s mission to keep materials in use and reduce waste.

Join a talented cross-functional team of software, mechanical, electrical, and robotics engineers to develop production-grade software that powers Molg's robotics and microfactories. As a Senior Backend Software Engineer, you will:

• Lead the design and implementation of scalable backend systems and microservices architecture that power Molg’s robotics and assembly intelligence platforms.
• Own the development lifecycle from system design through deployment, ensuring reliability, maintainability, and performance in production environments.
• Architect and deploy containerized applications (e.g., Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes) with a focus on scalability and fault tolerance.
• Build production-grade code with strong coding hygiene, automated testing, monitoring, and QA/QC processes.
• Define and improve CI/CD pipelines to enable rapid iteration cycles while maintaining system stability.
• Collaborate closely with robotics, mechanical, and software teams to integrate backend services into complex robotic systems.
• Solve large-scale architectural challenges, applying a thoughtful, systems-oriented approach to backend design and data management.
• Participate in sprint planning, technical reviews, and architectural discussions, while mentoring junior engineers on backend best practices.
• Drive innovation by evaluating new backend technologies and frameworks that can improve Molg’s development speed, scalability, and reliability.

You’ll have the opportunity to build alongside an incredible team, develop innovative solutions, and grow in a fast-paced environment that values autonomy and impact.

A senior-level software engineer with a strong track record of architecting and maintaining production backend systems. You bring a systems mindset, practical experience in deploying and scaling applications, and the ability to guide technical decisions. Specifically, you have:

• 5+ years of industry experience developing, deploying, and maintaining production-grade backend systems.
• Proven experience designing and architecting microservices-based systems and RESTful APIs.
• Strong proficiency in at least one high-level object-oriented language (Python preferred; Ruby, Go, or JavaScript also valuable).
• Deep understanding of release management, backend web architecture, and distributed systems.
• Demonstrable experience with containerization (Docker, Docker Compose; Kubernetes a plus) and CI/CD pipelines (Git Hub Actions, Git Lab CI, or similar).
• Proficiency with Unix systems, shell scripting (sh, bash, zsh), and modern software development practices (OOP, version control, testing frameworks).
• Familiarity with front-end integration and software-defined networking is a plus.
• Ability to work in-person at Molg HQ in Sterling, VA.
• Clear and effective communication skills, with the ability to articulate trade-offs, align on architectural decisions, and mentor others.

We spend our days building robotic systems, developing complex assembly intelligence software, and designing the next generation of circular products for our customers. Given the importance of working hands-on with physical systems, we are a…