Engineering Leader, Backend

Summary

Join Prepared as a Staff Backend Engineer with a clear path to Engineering Manager! You will begin by contributing directly to critical backend systems, transitioning into an Engineering Manager role within 3-6 months. This role involves building core infrastructure, owning major initiatives, and raising engineering quality. You will collaborate cross-functionally and mentor junior engineers. As an Engineering Manager, you will lead a small team, grow talent, balance technical contributions with leadership, and drive roadmap delivery. The ideal candidate possesses 7+ years of software engineering experience, 2+ years of management experience, and expertise in distributed systems and AWS/Kubernetes/Terraform. Prepared offers a competitive salary ($180,000-$210,000), equity, and excellent benefits.

Requirements

• 7+ years of software engineering experience
• 2+ years of management, tech lead, or informal leadership experience
• Experience with distributed systems at scale
• Familiarity with AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, or equivalent infrastructure tools
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

Responsibilities

• Build core infrastructure in backend domains like audio/video processing and generative AI
• Own major initiatives end-to-end, from architecture to deployment
• Raise the bar on engineering quality and stability in mission-critical systems
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, and go-to-market
• Mentor less experienced engineers and lead by example
• Leading a small, fast-moving team (2–5 engineers)
• Growing and mentoring talent while maintaining a high bar for performance
• Balancing technical contributions with team leadership
• Driving roadmap delivery through strong cross-functional collaboration

Preferred Qualifications

• To remain or transition into formal people management
• To lead while staying technical and hands-on
• To work in a high-trust, low-ego team
• To build software that impacts real-world emergency response

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefits
• 401k + Free Financial Advisors with Betterment
• Monthly Cell Phone Stipend
• Unlimited Time Off + 15 Observed Holidays
• 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave (birthing + non-birthing parents)
• Visit a PSAP (911 Center)
• WeWork Membership for All Employees
• Annual Company Offsite
• AI Tools like ChatGPT + NotionAI
• $500 Work from Home Budget
• Remote-First Culture