About the role

Role Overview

You will join Raya’s backend team at a high-growth stage, building and owning key parts of core services. The role is suited to someone excited to work in a Node.js codebase, design scalable software architecture, and demonstrate both delivery and leadership.

Responsibilities

Product Ownership: Lead key components of Core Services, including:
- People Recommendations Engines
- Data Engineering capabilities
Data & Performance: Use deep knowledge of databases such as PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Elasticsearch (OpenSearch/Search applications) to improve performance and reliability.
Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams (e.g., UX designers and data scientists) to deliver user-focused solutions.
Continuous Learning: Stay current with Raya’s tech ecosystem to ensure solutions remain scalable, maintainable, and innovative.
User-Centric Development: Use feedback loops and data-driven methods to define and refine product features.
Operational Excellence: Own the end-to-end SDLC, applying Agile practices and CI/CD throughout development.

Requirements

6+ years of hands-on modern software development experience.
Strong system design and architecture skills and mastery in at least one language such as Node.js/JavaScript, Go, or TypeScript.
Proven ability to build and scale backend systems in production (startup/fast-moving environments preferred).
Experience with Search applications (e.g., Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, vector databases).
Strong collaboration skills and transparency across teams.
AI/GenAI experience:
- Hands-on knowledge of agentic GenAI systems (multi-step LLM pipelines, tool use, RAG/workflows)
- Understanding of prompt engineering, fine-tuning, or model integration in production
- Curiosity and willingness to adopt emerging AI frameworks and ship AI-enabled projects.

Nice to Haves

Agentic GenAI systems experience (or notable shipped projects) leveraging orchestration, RAG, and model integration in production.

Benefits (as listed)

Comprehensive medical and dental coverage
$50/day food delivery budget
Equity-based employment
Learning opportunities
Unlimited vacation
12 weeks paid parental leave
$1,000/year for travel to a place they’ve never been (values-based)

About Raya

Raya is a fast-growing technology company focused on enriching lives through quality, in-person interactions and building relationship-focused products. The backend team works on core services such as recommendations, data engineering, messaging, and location-based maps.

Senior Backend Engineer

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