Staff Backend Software Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom.

📋 Description

• Identify and implement enhancements to the codebase that facilitate swift and safe shipping for both human developers and AI agents.

• Collaborate with a team of senior engineers in a low-process environment that emphasizes trust and autonomy.

• Facilitate decision-making and build consensus asynchronously through comprehensive documentation and specifications.

• Take ownership of features from start to finish — covering everything from backend systems to the partner-facing interface. While your main focus will be on the backend, you should be comfortable utilizing AI tools to navigate the stack as needed. What matters is your ability to deliver a complete feature, rather than just being able to write production-grade React from memory.

• Design scalable solutions and foundational patterns that enable efficient launches of new partner experiences.

• Collaborate closely with product managers and business partners to define and refine our roadmap, ensuring that your voice and technical vision are heard.

• Work alongside a diverse team, providing and receiving feedback to foster growth.

⛳️ Requirements

• A natural inclination to boldly explore unfamiliar codebases and deliver prompt results.

• Strong product-oriented mindset — your understanding of quality and architecture is rooted in the customer experience, rather than purely technical aesthetics.

• The capability to guide AI agents and automated workflows in developing and maintaining complex systems, along with the discernment to know when to intervene and when to let them operate independently.

• Experience in designing guardrails and feedback loops that ensure AI-assisted development remains both productive and reliable.

• Familiarity with, or a strong willingness to learn about, distributed system development using Scala.

• The skill to clearly articulate not only how you would approach a problem, but also why, and what trade-offs you are making.

🏝️ Benefits

• A well-funded and established startup with ambitious goals, offering a competitive salary and the benefits of pre-IPO equity packages.

• Hopper pays 100% of the premiums for employee coverage under a group insurance plan through Vitality Health.

• Automatic contributions upon joining Hopper via Smart Pension.

• Please inquire about our exceptionally generous parental leave, which exceeds industry standards!

• Access to co-working space as needed through FlexDesk, along with a work-from-home stipend.

• Carrot Cash travel stipend.

• Unlimited paid time off (PTO).

• An entrepreneurial culture where pushing boundaries and taking risks is part of everyday operations.

• Open lines of communication with management and company leadership.

• Small, dynamic teams that create a significant impact.