Senior Software Engineer: Full-Stack / Platform

Who We ArePopfly is building the infrastructure for the creator economy. Already the leading platform of adventure creators and brands, Popfly is a place where collaboration replaces chaos, and authentic partnerships replace transactional campaigns. Brands like GoPro, Smith Optics, and Backcountry use Popfly to discover vetted creators, collaborate through the entire creative process, and track performance that actually drives revenue. Creators use us to connect with brands they actually care about, manage their workflow, and get paid.We’re a fast-scaling startup that’s proven product-market fit and is now racing from thousands to millions of users. Our small and nimble engineering team has built a sophisticated platform that handles everything from creator-brand matching to real-time collaboration tools, payment processing, affiliate tracking, and analytics - all purpose-built for the adventure space. We believe perfect is the enemy of shipped, and pragmatic excellence beats over-engineered solutions every time. We’re not building one-off campaigns; we’re building the connected creator ecosystem that defines the future of authentic brand storytelling.The RoleWe’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer who thrives in the 0→100 phase of a hyper-growth startup. You’ll grow into a technical co-leader who doesn’t just execute tasks but owns entire domains, architects scalable solutions, and elevates the team through strong technical leadership.This is not a typical engineering role. Your work could look something like:50% – Building sophisticated systems, features, and algorithms (creator-brand matching, recommendation engines, analytics pipelines, real-time collaboration), improving and extending existing features25% – Platform evolution (scaling architecture, monitoring, potential containerization and platform migrations)25% – Technical co-leadership (architectural decisions, guiding engineers when needed)…and then an extra 50% spent dreaming up the future, inventing, prototyping, spotting the fires no one sees yet, and quietly solving them before anyone panicsWhat You’ll OwnFeatures & Product IntelligenceOwn the lifecycle of sophisticated features: problem framing, prototype, launch, and post-launch iteration.Partner with product to set success metrics for matching, recommendations, and creator-brand search quality.Platform & InfrastructureDesign and implement horizontal scaling strategies for services as we grow from thousands to millions of requestsOptimize SQL Server performance and evaluate data architecture decisionsOwn monitoring, observability, and incident response infrastructureContainerize our .NET applications for better resource management and deployment velocityTechnical LeadershipCollaborate with product and engineering leaders to guide the team through code reviews, architectural decisions, and quality controlMake high-leverage decisions: when to extract microservices, when to refactor vs. rebuild, and when “good enough” is actually rightChampion engineering best practices while understanding startup trade-offs - we ship fast, but we ship with qualityBridge between product/design vision and technical execution - take a rough direction or half-formed idea from product/eng leadership and turn it into a sharp, well-scoped spec the team can build againstTranslate the “why” into the “what” and “how”: pressure-test the vision, surface the edge cases and trade-offs early, and write specs that are clear enough that the right solution becomes obviousOur StackBackend: .NET Core, C#, EF Core, MSSQL ServerFrontend: Next.js, TypeScript, MUI, TanStack QueryInfrastructure: Heroku, Azure, AWS, RabbitMQKey integrations: Shopify, Stripe, Autumn, Algolia, Phyllo, Cloudinary, TalkJS, Liveblocks, Knock, SendGrid, DatadogAI: OpenAI/Anthropic APIs woven into product features where they add real valueYou’re a Great Fit IfMust-Haves4-5+ years of software engineering experienceStrong algorithm, data structures, and design patterns fluencyData and experimentation mindset: define metrics, run A/B tests, and iterate on performance.Production Platform/DevOps experienceCloud infrastructure knowledgeTechnical leadership - you’ve influenced architecture and made strategic engineering decisionsProduct sense & spec-writing - you can absorb product/leadership vision, ask the questions that expose what’s really being asked for, and translate it into excellent, buildable specs and features (not just implement tickets handed to you)Startup mentality - you understand that “perfect is the enemy of good” and can make pragmatic trade-offsYou’re obsessed with using AI tools like Cursor/Claude Code and beyond, to enhance your effectiveness and productivity, while not sacrificing any quality and maintainabilityNice-to-HavesExpertise in .NET, C#, MSSQL, React/Next.jsExperience building product features on top of LLM APIs (OpenAI/Anthropic)Containerization experience (Docker production; Kubernetes; Terraform)Experience with context-engineering / MCPRecsys or marketplace matching experienceStrong design taste and a track record of great product/UXYou’ll Fail IfYou need everything to be “perfect” before shippingYou prefer to work in isolation vs. collaborating closely with product/design/operations/other engineersYou’re more interested in completing tickets than owning business outcomesYou need a fully-specced ticket to start - you can’t take a vision or rough direction and then iterate and shape it into the right spec and implementationYou believe in gold-plating solutions or chasing every new tech trendYou think responsibility ends at your job title instead of stepping in when something needs to get doneWhat We OfferCompetitive salary range: $140k – $180k, which may vary based on relevant experience, skill level, and geographic locationAutonomy & ownership: You’ll influence technical direction and the future of our companyModern stack with well-supported technologiesImpact: your work directly influences thousands of creators and brandsFlexible health benefits: a customizable healthcare reimbursement plan to fit your needs.Adventure Cash: We’ll cover some of your next adventure—go explore!Annual Retreat: A fun, team-building getaway to recharge and connect with the team.Unlimited PTO: Take the time you need to get outside, travel, recharge and perform at your best.Our Engineering CultureShip with quality, but ship fast - we iterate based on real user feedbackConsistency compounds - we favor uniform “good enough” patternsFail fast - clear error handling, early returns, structured loggingReadable over clever - clarity beats complexityTest what matters - unit tests for business logic, integration/E2E for critical flowsSee a problem, own the problem - ownership extends beyond titlesReady to Build Something Extraordinary?If this sounds like you and you’re excited about joining our fast-growing startup, then we want to hear from you!Apply with:Your resume, LinkedIn, and GitHub if applicableA brief note explaining one or more of the following:Your most impactful technical project in the last 2 yearsYour experience with algorithms/AI and platform/DevOps workWhy Popfly’s mission and stage excite youPopfly is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.