Backend Engineer

All rolesSan Francisco, CABackend EngineerSan Francisco, CAFull-timeMid-levelOn-siteZof AI is hiring for this role in San Francisco, CA. This is a full-time opportunity for candidates who want to contribute directly to the development of ambitious AI products in a high-performance environment.Daily hands-on use of AI coding agents to design, build, and debug backend systems is required.CompensationCompetitive salaryPlus meaningful equityApply for this roleAbout This RoleZof AI is seeking a Backend Engineer to own the services, APIs, and data layer that our agent fleets run on. This role covers job orchestration and queueing for long-running agent runs, Postgres schema and query performance, and the storage paths for the evidence and validation artifacts every fix we ship depends on. If you have worked as a Backend Software Engineer, API Engineer, Platform Engineer, or Distributed Systems Engineer, this is that discipline at Zof AI. The ideal candidate writes clear, well-tested services, reasons carefully about failure and state, and treats throughput, correctness, and cost as everyday engineering constraints.ResponsibilitiesDesign, build, and operate the services and APIs our agent fleets run on.Build the job orchestration and queueing that keeps long-running agent work moving.Own Postgres schema design, migrations, and query performance as data grows.Ship the storage and retrieval paths for the evidence and traces every agent run produces.Instrument services so failures are observable, debuggable, and recoverable.Harden reliability with testing, retries, idempotency, and backpressure under real load.Partner with product and AI engineers to turn agent behavior into stable interfaces.Own backend systems from design through production.RequirementsExperience building and shipping backend services in production.Strong software engineering foundation.Working knowledge of relational databases and SQL, ideally Postgres.Familiarity with APIs, queues, and asynchronous job processing.Ability to debug performance and correctness issues in running systems.Habit of proving your work with tests and evidence before it ships.Clear written and verbal communication.Comfort operating in a fast-moving environment.Nice to haveExperience with TypeScript, Node.js, Python, Postgres, or similar technologies.Experience with distributed systems, event-driven architecture, or streaming pipelines.Experience with cloud platforms, containers, and CI/CD.Experience supporting AI or agent workloads in production.Backend EngineeringAPIsDistributed SystemsPostgresReliabilityWhat we provide in San Francisco MacBook Pro Premium AI development tools Cursor Ultra Claude Code Ultra OpenAI Codex Max or equivalent advanced AI tooling Access to a high-performance AI product environment Close collaboration with leadership, engineering, and customers Opportunity to work in the San Francisco AI ecosystem Wellness and productivity support where applicable Competitive startup environment High ownership Direct product impactBenefits may depend on role and final offer terms.ApplyApply for Backend EngineerThis application is for the Backend Engineer role in San Francisco, CA. Please complete every required field.You are applying forBackend EngineerSan Francisco, CACompany website1Basic informationFull name*Email*Phone or WhatsApp number*Current location*City and country2Professional linksLinkedIn URL*GitHub URL*Portfolio or personal website (optional)Resume or CV link*A link to Google Drive, Dropbox, LinkedIn, your website, or a PDF3Role-specific backgroundYears of experience*Strongest programming languagesBest project link (optional)AI tools you useComfort with frontendSelect a levelBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedExpertComfort with backendSelect a levelBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedExpertComfort with databasesSelect a levelBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedExpertComfort with AI coding toolsSelect a levelBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedExpertSystems or products you have worked on0/30004Location fitAre you able to work from or relocate to the San Francisco area for this role?*Select an answerYesOpen to it, with details belowNoEarliest start date or availability*Relocation or work authorization note (optional)5Written responsesWhy are you interested in Zof AI?*0/3000Why are you interested in this location?*0/3000What is the strongest evidence that you would succeed in this role?*0/3000What is the hardest thing you have built, sold, owned, or led?*0/3000How do you currently use AI tools in your work?*For example, describe a project where you used AI tools to build faster, improve quality, or solve a difficult technical problem.0/3000How did you hear about us? (optional)Education (optional)Anything else you would like us to know? (optional)0/30006Final confirmationI understand this is a location-based role and have reviewed the location requirements.*I confirm that the information I have provided is accurate.*By submitting, you agree that Zof AI may store and review your application for hiring purposes.Related rolesAccra, GhanaFull-timeMid-levelOn-siteBackend EngineerZof AI is seeking a Backend Engineer to own the services, APIs, and data layer that our agent fleets run on. This role covers job orchestration and queueing for long-running agent runs, Postgres schema and query performance, and the storage paths for the evidence and validation artifacts every fix we ship depends on. If you have worked as a Backend Software Engineer, API Engineer, Platform Engineer, or Distributed Systems Engineer, this is that discipline at Zof AI. The ideal candidate writes clear, well-tested services, reasons carefully about failure and state, and treats throughput, correctness, and cost as everyday engineering constraints.GHS 6,500-13,000 / monthBackend EngineeringAPIsDistributed SystemsPostgresReliabilityView roleApply