Senior Software Engineer, NYT Cooking

The New York Times•New York, NY

22d•$140,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The New York Times is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join the NYT Cooking API team, focused on building the backend systems and APIs that power interactive, AI-driven recipe experiences across NYT Cooking. This includes features such as recipe substitutions, personalized modifications, and experienced adaptations powered by LLM technology. The team also supports core search and discovery functionality, user data services like recipe saves and ratings, and the GraphQL infrastructure used across web and mobile platforms. The team is collaborative and partners with product, design, editorial, and data teams to create seamless cooking experiences for millions of users across web, iOS, and Android. The environment is hybrid and focused on building scalable, reliable, and observable systems that continue to evolve with the product. This is a hybrid role reporting to the Engineering Manager within the Technology team.

Requirements

5+ years of experience designing and implementing scalable APIs and backend services for web and mobile applications using GraphQL and REST.
5+ years of experience developing backend systems using modern programming languages such as Go, Ruby, TypeScript, or Java.
5+ years of experience working with SQL databases, particularly PostgreSQL, including data modeling and query performance optimization.
3+ years of experience working with distributed systems and search technologies such as Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, along with observability and troubleshooting tools including Datadog, Sentry, logs, and dashboards.
3+ years of experience working with cloud infrastructure platforms such as AWS or GCP and containerized deployment technologies including Docker and Kubernetes.
Experience leading projects through the full software development lifecycle, collaborating cross-functionally with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and mentoring engineers through code reviews, pairing, and technical discussions.

Nice To Haves

Experience with GraphQL federation and building scalable subgraphs within larger distributed architectures.
Experience with search and recommendation technologies, including Elasticsearch relevance tuning, semantic search, and ML/LLM-driven product features.
Strong experience with Go and/or Ruby on Rails, particularly building and maintaining API-driven services and backend systems.
Experience with infrastructure and developer tooling, including Terraform, CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Drone, Jenkins), automation, release engineering, and LLM evaluation tools such as Braintrust.

Responsibilities

Designing and building scalable APIs and backend services for web and mobile applications using GraphQL and REST.
Developing backend systems using modern programming languages such as Go, Ruby, TypeScript, or Java.
Working with SQL databases, PostgreSQL, including data modeling and query optimization.
Working with search technologies such as Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, or other distributed data systems.
Monitoring, troubleshooting, and improving complex systems using observability tools such as Datadog, Sentry, logs, and dashboards.
Working with cloud infrastructure platforms such as AWS or GCP and containerized deployment environments including Docker and Kubernetes.
Leading projects through the full software development lifecycle from design to delivery while collaborating with partners and teams.
Partner effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
Mentoring engineers through technical discussions, code reviews, collaborative, and pair programming.
Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.