Staff Back End Engineer, Data

Altruist • San Francisco, CA

1d • $203,000 - $275,000

About The Position

Altruist is seeking an AI-native Staff Software Engineer to shape the technical direction of its data and AI platforms while building systems that help financial advisors deliver exceptional client service. The role leads complex initiatives across teams, translates ambiguous business needs into practical technical plans, and creates frameworks for other engineers. The engineer owns outcomes from design through production, balancing delivery speed with reliability, security, and cost.

The position focuses on scalable data pipelines and serving platforms, the lifecycle of financial data from ingestion through consumption, and shared frameworks that make AI a core company capability. The engineer will work with product, engineering, and Security partners to improve advisor experiences and internal workflows, protect sensitive data, and deliver measurable results. The role also advances AI-assisted software development while maintaining accountability for correctness, security, and maintainability.

Altruist describes its values as Kindness, Brilliance, and Grit. It offers a competitive compensation and benefits package and has offices in Culver City, San Francisco, and Dallas. The stated salary range is for San Francisco, California.

Requirements

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, including leading complex platform or distributed systems initiatives and delivering results across teams.
• Strong proficiency in Python or Java, strong SQL skills, and ability to design, build, debug, and operate production systems.
• Deep experience with databases, data warehouses, ETL or ELT pipelines, and mature data processes at scale; understanding of data modeling, query optimization, and batch versus real-time processing tradeoffs.
• Experience with large-scale offline processing and batch pipelines using Spark or similar frameworks, including failure recovery and performance tuning.
• Experience designing and operating cloud services, especially on AWS, with working knowledge of Kubernetes, deployment practices, and observability.
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools such as Cursor or Claude Code, sound judgment about their limitations, and ability to help others use them effectively; ability to identify practical AI applications and evaluate business value.
• Experience setting architectural direction, writing clear technical proposals, building alignment across teams, and mentoring engineers without relying on formal authority.
• Ability to turn ambiguous needs into clear priorities, make pragmatic build-versus-buy decisions, and balance immediate delivery with long-term platform needs.
• Responsibility for business outcomes, carrying changes through production, and supporting systems built.
• Ability to listen carefully, explain complex ideas clearly, and work effectively with technical and nontechnical partners.
• Ability to navigate uncertainty, learn from setbacks, and adapt based on evidence or different perspectives.
• Ability to question assumptions, identify root causes, and develop practical solutions to difficult problems.
• B.A. or B.S. in Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

• Production experience with Snowflake, Airflow, or dbt.
• Experience building and operating AI applications, agent frameworks, or shared services for governed data access, including evaluation and monitoring.
• Experience with financial services data or other environments where data accuracy, privacy, and reliability are essential.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for scalable data pipelines and data serving platforms, aligning architecture and investment decisions with business priorities.
• Design and build high-performance systems for the full lifecycle of financial data, from ingestion and transformation to serving and consumption.
• Create shared frameworks and platforms that make AI a core company capability, including reliable access to trusted data for AI applications and agents.
• Identify opportunities to improve advisor experiences and internal workflows with AI; partner with product and engineering teams to define success, validate approaches, and deliver measurable results.
• Lead initiatives spanning multiple teams, clarify technical tradeoffs and dependencies, and guide delivery from design through rollout and ongoing operation.
• Establish standards for data quality, observability, and recovery, and partner with Security to protect sensitive data and incorporate access controls into system design.
• Improve query performance, platform reliability, and infrastructure efficiency; resolve complex production issues and address underlying causes.
• Advance effective AI use throughout the software development lifecycle while maintaining accountability for correctness, security, and maintainability.
• Mentor engineers, lead design reviews, and raise engineering standards through technical guidance and hands-on contributions.

Benefits

• Premium healthcare, dental, and vision insurance plans (HMO and PPO).
• 401k savings plan with a 4% match and immediate vesting.
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave after one year of employment.
• Professional growth and development opportunities, including an employee mobility program and an annual L&D budget allocation for each employee.
• Company perks program with discounts on pet insurance, fitness, cell phone plans, travel, and other offerings.
• Financial guidance program, including counseling on navigating debt, tracking personal spending, saving and planning goals, and home-purchasing preparedness.
• One-month work-from-anywhere policy, with exceptions for a few positions and countries.
• Competitive total compensation and a bonus program for eligible roles.
• Amenity-filled office spaces in Culver City, San Francisco, and Dallas.

What This Job Offers

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