Pika
Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Backend
US remote · Staff+
Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 107 days ago
PythonGoNode.jsDistributed SystemsBackend DevelopmentPostgreSQLRedisAWSGCPCloud PlatformsDockerKubernetesRESTLLMsLeadershipCommunicationCollaboration
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Sponsors this role80
Entry-level history0
PERM / green-card track0
Lottery odds40
Fits your clock70
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About the role
- Your leadership in architectural decisions and backend best practices will shape the technical foundation of Pika for millions of users, helping to define both the immediate experience and the long-term direction of our core backend platforms.
Responsibilities
- Architect and develop scalable, high-performing backend systems and APIs powering all Pika products and services
- Build, maintain, and enhance distributed systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), ensuring high availability and reliability
- Develop systems to support low-latency, real-time collaboration and messaging at scale
- Design and optimize backend features that power creative, AI-driven product capabilities
- Lead technical discussions, review code, drive backend architecture proposals, and mentor engineers to elevate standards across the team
- Deep expertise in building distributed systems, RESTful and real-time APIs, and cloud-native infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, etc.)
- Strong system design skills for reliable, scalable backend services for high-traffic applications
- Proven ability to independently lead complex projects, troubleshoot problems, and deliver impactful solutions
- Supportive, collaborative office culture-we're all building and launching together
Requirements
- 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with at least 2+ years in senior backend roles
- Track record of launching impactful backend features that balance technical quality with business needs
Nice to have
- Experience with real-time collaboration platforms, creative tools, or media-rich applications
- Familiarity with integrating generative AI or agent-based systems
- Experience at high-growth startups or in rapidly evolving settings
- Competitive coding, hackathon, or open-source contributions
- Python, Go, Node.js, Postgres, Redis, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/GCP
Skills
- Pika has raised significant funding and is backed by leading investors, with a collaborative culture based in Palo Alto, CA.
Compensation
- Competitive salary in the AI industry
Benefits
- Equity in a rapidly growing startup shaping the future of AI and creativity
- Comprehensive health benefits, monthly stipends, and company retreats
Company info
- Our mission is to make video creation seamless, intuitive, and accessible to everyone, leveraging the power of advanced AI.
- We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Backend, to lead and scale the backend infrastructure powering Pika's user-facing products.
- What We're Looking For
This listing is sourced directly from Pika's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.