Backend Engineer

Lapel • San Francisco, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

At Lapel, we believe the most hospitable companies win. We're building the data, infrastructure, and tools that help customer-facing teams understand every customer and act on that insight at scale throughout the entire customer lifecycle.
Most internet businesses want to treat customers well, but their tools work against them. We’re building the layer that makes every interaction feel personal again: unifying context, coordinating action, and closing the gap between intent and experience.
It’s a technically ambitious challenge spanning data infrastructure, AI, and systems design—with a deeply human outcome: helping software companies serve people better. We call it hospitality at scale.
We’re well-funded, backed by top-tier investors, and already working with incredible companies, from fast-growing startups to large enterprises. We’ll share more details when we talk.

Requirements

• Have 3+ years of backend or software engineering experience, with a track record of building and scaling systems
• Are comfortable designing APIs, working with databases, and owning backend architecture decisions
• Have experience with backend technologies (Node.js, Python, Go, or similar) and databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL
• Understand system design, scalability, and performance optimization at a practical level
• Are customer-focused and able to translate product needs into reliable backend systems
• Enjoy working in fast-paced environments with high ownership and autonomy
• Are proactive, detail-oriented, and take pride in building high-quality systems

Responsibilities

• Build, operate, and scale the core backend systems that power the Lapel platform
• Design and develop robust APIs and services that support product features end-to-end
• Work closely with founders, product, and design to translate ideas into scalable backend solutions
• Help define and shape backend architecture, infrastructure, and tooling decisions
• Own key backend projects end-to-end, from scoping to deployment to post-launch iteration
• Design and manage database schemas, data models, and data flows across systems
• Optimize system performance, reliability, and scalability
• Implement best practices around security, authentication, and data protection
• Contribute to infrastructure and deployment pipelines
• Debug and resolve production issues, ensuring high uptime and system stability

Benefits

• Competitive salary + meaningful early-stage equity
• Full benefits: including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k)
• Generous time off: including many company holidays and coordinated team-wide breaks throughout the year to focus and recharge
• Office perks: lunch and dinner provided daily, health & wellness benefits
• Team culture: regular off-sites, tight feedback loops, and a bias toward action

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed