Staff Software Engineer-Backend

Cameo•Chicago, IL

3d•$175,000 - $215,000•Onsite

About The Position

At Cameo, we make impossible connections possible. Our platform allows fans to get personalized messages from their favorite comedians, actors, athletes, and more. We are looking for passionate, hardworking individuals to help take Cameo to the next level. This role involves setting the technical direction for the backend platform, architecting core services, owning distributed-systems and data problems, and raising the engineering bar for the teams. You will work with our backend (node.js) and data layer (MongoDB), design event-driven and API architecture, and partner with product, data, and platform teams. You will also help define how we build with AI, from using agentic coding tools to designing AI-powered systems. Cameo is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. Cameo celebrates and embraces diversity.

Requirements

10+ years of professional backend engineering experience.
Deep expertise in node.js (express, async patterns, etc.).
A track record of designing and operating distributed systems serving millions of users in production.
Expert-level data modeling with NoSQL (Mongo).
Experience designing event-driven and streaming architectures (Kafka/Confluent, queues, pub/sub).
Experience building and owning high-throughput, low-latency REST (and/or async) APIs as long-lived platforms.
Security-minded across authn/authz, data protection, and supply-chain risk.
Strong cloud-native chops on AWS.
AI fluency: use agentic coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) to multiply output, and help set the standards for how the team builds with AI.
Strong product sense.
A doer who thrives in ambiguity.

Nice To Haves

Good judgment on when relational or other stores fit better.
Designing agentic and AI-powered systems into the platform.

Responsibilities

Set the technical direction for the backend platform.
Architect the core services behind the website and mobile app.
Own the hardest distributed-systems and data problems.
Raise the engineering bar for the teams around you.
Go deep on our backend (node.js) and data layer (MongoDB).
Design the event-driven and API architecture that ties everything together.
Partner closely with product, data, and platform teams.
Help define how we build with AI, from using agentic coding tools to designing AI-powered systems.
Define how we build, where we invest, and how we stay reliable as we grow.
Set technical direction across teams.
Mentor engineers, leading through influence rather than authority.
Connect technical decisions to real user and business impact.
Bring others along with you in ambiguous situations.
Build and scale systems, and raise the bar for everyone around you.