Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Takt • Reston, VA

3d • $150,000 - $180,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Takt is hiring a senior backend engineer to design and build distributed systems at the core of its warehouse intelligence platform. The platform brings together labor, automation, and robotics data to provide real-time operational views for warehouse customers. Backend services are written in Go, Python, and Node.js and run on Google Kubernetes Engine across multiple regions. The engineer will work across these languages and collaborate directly with the CTO and Director of Engineering, take architectural ownership, help scale the platform, and mentor other engineers. Security is a priority, including safe handling of customer operational data and designs that support SOC 2 and GDPR audits.

The role includes building and operating services and integrations, deploying across multi-region environments, and managing large operational datasets with Google Cloud Spanner and BigQuery. APIs and data pipelines support web, TV, kiosk, and mobile experiences used on the warehouse floor. Engineers own services from design and documentation through deployment, monitoring, and incident follow-through.

Takt describes its engineering team as AI-forward. Each engineer receives a monthly budget for AI tools such as Claude and Cursor, and the role is expected to use these tools critically and help establish safe practices for AI-assisted development.

The position is based in Reston, Virginia. Local candidates are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. Visa sponsorship is not available. The base salary range is $150,000–$180,000, depending on experience.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of professional backend engineering experience, or equivalent practical experience.
• Deep, hands-on experience building production services in at least one of Go, Python, or Node.js (TypeScript), and willingness to work across all three.
• Track record designing and operating scalable distributed systems, with clear reasoning about consistency, latency, and failure modes.
• Experience running services on Kubernetes in a cloud environment.
• Strong SQL skills, including writing, optimizing, and debugging queries against large production datasets.
• Experience with large datasets and the databases that serve them.
• A security mindset, including least-privilege access, safe handling of customer data, and pragmatic risk trade-offs.
• Ownership and drive: ability to take ambiguity and run with it, communicate clearly, and maintain good documentation.
• Ability to work from the Reston office at least four days a week; the company is seeking local candidates.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Google Kubernetes Engine on Google Cloud.
• Experience with Spanner and BigQuery, or depth in comparable systems.
• Production experience in more than one of Go, Python, and Node.js.
• Experience with multi-region architectures and the trade-offs of replication, failover, and data residency.
• Experience with streaming or batch data pipelines, such as Dataflow.
• Familiarity with Terraform, GitHub Actions, and infrastructure as code.
• Prior startup experience, or comfort owning a domain rather than a slice of one.
• Curiosity about logistics, warehousing, or physical operations.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate scalable backend services in Go, Python, and Node.js.
• Build and maintain reliable integrations with warehouse management, labor, automation, and robotics systems, including when upstream systems change or fail.
• Deploy and operate services on Google Kubernetes Engine across multi-region environments, designing for availability, failover, and data locality.
• Model, store, and query large operational datasets using Google Cloud Spanner and Google BigQuery.
• Design APIs and data pipelines that serve real-time views to web, TV, kiosk, and mobile experiences on the warehouse floor.
• Apply security practices such as least-privilege access and safe data handling, and design systems to support SOC 2 and GDPR audits.
• Own services end to end, from design and documentation through deployment, monitoring, and incident follow-through.
• Mentor engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and pairing.
• Use AI development tools critically, review generated code, understand what ships, and help build guardrails for safe team use.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) with employer match
• Unlimited PTO
• Monthly AI tools budget for every engineer
• Top-of-the-line MacBook Pro, dual 4K monitors, and choice of keyboard and mouse at the office

What This Job Offers

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