Sr. Software Engineer

Karius • Redwood City, CA

1d • $72 - $84 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are building and operating a unique software stack of cloud infrastructure, software services, APIs, web and mobile interactive interfaces, and AI-driven data analytics pipelines to deliver life-saving results in the highly complex infectious disease landscape. We believe the success of Karius’ products is driven by both our unique technology and the elegance of the software solution. We seek talented and passionate individuals who want to be part of this impactful journey reaching the team’s ambitious goals, far beyond what any single individual could accomplish.
Duration: This is a temporary/contract position up to 6 months.

Requirements

• BS or MS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering, or a related technical field involving algorithms or coding, such as physics or mathematics
• 5+ years of software engineering experience designing, developing, and maintaining full-stack solutions in a production environment
• Advanced knowledge and 3+ years of experience implementing production software using TypeScript
• Strong TypeScript and Node.js engineering experience, including building and maintaining substantial TypeScript services in production
• Experience designing and operating microservices-based systems, with a clear understanding of service boundaries, contract evolution, error handling across service calls, and observability
• Production experience with Kafka or a comparable event-streaming platform, including topic design, partition strategy, consumer group behavior, idempotency, ordering guarantees, and handling delayed, failed, or unprocessable messages; Confluent experience is a plus
• Experience designing PostgreSQL database schemas, with a strong understanding of transactions, indexing, and migration strategy
• Knowledge and hands-on experience developing and operating distributed cloud-based software systems using technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, Kafka, GraphQL, and AWS or equivalent cloud platforms
• Experience operating services in AWS or similar environments, including the ability to navigate services such as EKS, RDS, S3, CloudWatch, IAM, and troubleshoot issues across application and infrastructure boundaries
• Experience with unit testing frameworks such as Jest, Vitest, or similar
• Hands-on experience with end-to-end testing frameworks such as Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, or similar
• Strong test design skills, including the ability to translate acceptance criteria or user stories into a balanced coverage strategy across unit, integration, and end-to-end testing
• Hands-on experience with modern AI tools such as Claude, Cursor, or similar
• Familiarity with requirements management tools such as JAMA
• Strong commitment to engineering quality, including testability, maintainability, and reliability.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to create clear design documents, PR descriptions, test cases, and technical documentation.
• Ability to work across systems and integration points, including troubleshooting issues that span multiple services, applications, or teams.
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous situations by asking clarifying questions, identifying assumptions, and helping define practical solutions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the life sciences or healthcare domain, especially next-generation sequencing, diagnostic laboratory environments, or related regulated settings, is highly desirable

Responsibilities

• Understand user needs and objectives by collaborating closely with cross-functional groups across Karius, including Engineering, Software Products, Analytics, Lab Operations, and other business partners.
• Develop and share software subsystem designs that address user needs and enable teams to achieve their objectives.
• Lead the implementation and end-to-end testing of software solutions and components, including driving user acceptance.
• Own software subsystems, API sets, or user applications, serving as the go-to subject matter expert for assigned areas.
• Develop strong expertise in the corresponding business domain to ensure software solutions are aligned with operational and user needs.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the engineering lifecycle by leading enhancements to tools, processes, and ways of working.
• Help advance a high-performing engineering culture through close collaboration, engagement, and partnership with the broader engineering team to solve technical challenges as they arise.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior