Elegen is blazing a path towards a biology-based economy with a highly innovative approach to DNA synthesis that delivers an industry leading length of 7kb in 7 business days with a 99.999% per base accuracy. Our multidisciplinary team of best-in-class biologists, chemists, hardware, and software engineers apply cutting-edge technologies and methods to solve critical bottlenecks in synthetic biology workflows to help our customers in pharma, biotech, agbio, and biomanufacturing streamline their work and realize the full potential of programmable biology.
We are looking for an experienced backend software engineer to join a team working on an incredibly exciting fixture of Elegen's technology offering. This position will appeal to you if you enjoy working on high visibility projects, collaborating with multifunctional teams, and thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Design, develop, and maintain backend applications and APIs with a primary focus on Django
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, develop, and deploy new features that drive our synthetic biology products
- Optimize backend systems for scalability, reliability, and high performance
- Implement secure, robust, and scalable API services and data storage solutions
- Conduct regular code reviews, unit testing, and integration testing to ensure code quality and alignment with best practices
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues across development, testing, and production environments
- Contribute to architectural discussions and technical planning sessions
- Mentor and guide junior engineers on best practices in backend development
- Ensure the security, data integrity, and compliance of backend services
- Stay updated with the latest developments in Django and backend development trends to drive innovation
Essential Qualifications and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
- 4+ years of work experience as a Backend Software Engineer specializing in Django and Python
- Proficiency in designing and developing RESTful APIs and microservices architectures
- Strong experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) and database schema design
- Hands-on experience with CI/CD practices, version control (Git), and containerization (Docker)
- Familiarity with web security standards and protocols, such as OAuth and data encryption
- Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently or as part of a team
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
Preferred Qualifications and Experience:
- Experience working in a high-growth startup environment
- Familiarity with cloud services such as AWS, GCP, or Azure
- Exposure to frontend frameworks (e.g., React) for seamless backend-frontend integration
- Experience with message brokers (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka) and caching solutions (e.g., Redis)
Salary and Benefits:
The annual base salary compensation for this role, if based in California is: $135,000 - $170,000. Compensation may be different in other locations. Final compensation also includes bonus, equity and benefits. Specific offer packages are determined by multiple factors, including candidate skill, experience, expertise, and location.
✓ Healthcare ✓ Dental ✓ Vision ✓ Learning Allowance
✓ 401K ✓ Flexible PTO ✓ Short Term Disability ✓ Fitness Allowance
About The Company:
Founded and led by Dr. Matthew Hill and located in San Carlos, CA, Elegen is well-capitalized by top life science investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, and KdT. The company is advised and staffed by leading biotechnology scientists and entrepreneurs, including Dr. Marc Unger, inventor of the Nanoflex™ valve, and former CSO of Fluidigm. Dr. Hill has a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of advancing innovative technologies from invention to commercial success. Over eight years in his previous role as VP of R&D at a leading molecular diagnostics company, he co-invented and launched five precision molecular diagnostic products, including a best-in-class noninvasive prenatal test used by millions. These products earn more than $350 million per year in revenue and enabled an IPO.
Elegen is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Elegen provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic characteristics, or any other category protected by law. All applicants have rights under the following Federal Employment Laws:
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
- Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA)
Top Skills
What We Do
We are now at the dawn of the synthetic biology revolution, which will spawn new applications, markets, and business models, improving human lives in countless ways. This revolution will be driven by new technologies that enable DNA writing at speed and scale.
To catalyze this revolution, Elegen is creating a suite of ground-breaking technologies to achieve DNA writing with unparalleled speed, cost, and quality. Elegen is unlocking the power to reprogram biology and create biologic solutions in order to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.
Founded and led by Dr. Matthew Hill and located in San Carlos, CA, Elegen is a stealth-mode company that is well capitalized by top life science investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, and KdT. The company is advised and staffed by leading biotechnology scientists and entrepreneurs, including Dr. Marc Unger, inventor of the Nanoflex™ valve and former CSO of Fluidigm. Dr. Hill has a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of advancing innovative technologies from invention to commercial success.
