Staff Software Engineer

Cambly•San Francisco, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Cambly's mission is to provide accessible, high-quality English education globally through a platform that connects English learners with tutors. As a Staff Software Engineer, you will be a senior technical leader responsible for the technical direction of products within a fast-moving engineering team of approximately 15 engineers. You will work across the full stack, collaborating with product managers, designers, and other engineers to take products from conception through launch. The role involves setting technical standards, mentoring engineers, and contributing to the development of AI-driven features that enhance the language learning experience. The company utilizes AI coding tools to optimize engineer time for decision-making, design, and review. The tech stack includes Next.js, React, and TypeScript for the frontend, and Python (Flask and FastAPI) on AWS with MongoDB for the backend.

Requirements

7+ years of engineering experience, with a proven track record of owning systems and leading them to production.
Deep backend expertise in API design, data modeling, and building scalable production systems.
Experience with AI-first development, utilizing AI coding tools for implementation and focusing on decisions and review.
Strong technical judgment to make decisions regarding scale, extensibility, speed, and learning.
Willingness and ability to work across unfamiliar parts of the stack to ship products.
A product mindset with a focus on delivering valuable user experiences.
Clear communication skills to explain technical trade-offs to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

Own the product platform.
Lead the design and delivery of backend systems, including APIs, data models, and services, and ensure their production readiness.
Make critical technical decisions, including domain modeling and balancing scalability/extensibility with rapid iteration.
Manage products end-to-end, from technical design through launch, and lead major team initiatives.
Work across the full stack, including frontend, mobile, and data, leveraging AI tools to be effective in unfamiliar areas.
Elevate the team's technical standards through architecture, code reviews, and best practices, and integrate successful AI workflows into team practices.
Mentor engineers, review their work, and contribute to the overall skill development of the team.