Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Ranked #292 on Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies 2022

*** Candidates must reside within a commutable distance to Los Angeles ***

About Upwards:

Upwards is a fast-growing Los Angeles-based startup transforming childcare in the United States. Backed by top investors and VCs, we're making childcare accessible to all families by connecting parents, caregivers, employers, and governments to offer benefits programs that meet ever-evolving family needs. It is our mission to make childcare affordable and accessible for all.

The role of the Senior Backend Engineer

Are you a prolific Senior Backend Engineer with a passion for building robust APIs and integrations? Join Upwards and become part of a transformative team dedicated to reshaping how families access and engage with childcare services. Your expertise will be instrumental in developing cutting-edge web applications that deliver seamless, high-quality user experiences across our platform. Together, we’re making a significant impact on addressing the childcare needs of families nationwide. This is your opportunity to apply your skills, drive innovation, and help shape the future of childcare technology.

At Upwards, we are committed to providing exceptional services that make a difference in the lives of families. Our dynamic team works tirelessly to deliver innovative solutions that empower parents and caregivers across the nation.

In This Role, You Will:

• Design Systems: Architect complex systems with an emphasis on scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Evaluate Solutions: Assess various architectural approaches and select optimal strategies to solve technical challenges.
• Code Excellence: Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code adhering to best practices and design patterns.
• Mentorship: Review and mentor engineers’ work to ensure high-quality output and adherence to coding standards.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate with product managers, designers, and stakeholders to plan features and timelines effectively.
• Quality Assurance: Develop comprehensive test plans, write tests, and perform manual testing to maintain software quality.
• Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous learning within the team and improve development processes for enhanced efficiency.
• Tool Optimization: Advocate for or implement new tools that boost productivity and code quality.

You’ll Thrive in This Role If You:

• Have 5+ years of experience building modern web applications interacting with data stores like MySQL and Redis.
• Possess expertise in PHP 8 and have worked with frameworks such as Slim, Symfony or Laravel.
• Are proficient in writing unit, integration, and acceptance tests.
• Understand RESTful APIs and their implementation.
• Have experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins), testing tools (e.g., PHPUnit, Selenium), and application monitoring tools (e.g., Sentry, Datadog).
• Have experience integrating AI technology into a production stack and business use cases.
• Take pride in crafting clean, maintainable, and scalable code.
• Enjoy collaborating with cross-functional teams and documenting processes.
• Are proactive about learning new backend trends and best practices.
• Are passionate about solving real-world problems, particularly in the marketplace domain.

What the Interview Process will look like:

• 1st Interview: Recruiting Manager
• 2nd Interview: Exercise
• 3rd Interview: Hiring Manager Interview
• 4th Interview: Final Interview with various members of the Upwards Team including a live tech remote session

Let’s talk about the perks at Upwards:

• Salary Range: $150,000 - $170,000 yearly
• Comprehensive Benefits - Medical, Vision, Dental, Short and Long Term Disability.
• Parental Leave - Upwards provides a generous parental leave.
• Monthly Fringe Benefits - Pick something fun for yourself!
• 401K with a 3% Match - You invest in us, we are going to invest in your future.
• Flexible Paid Time Off - We encourage you to take time for yourself.
• Equity - We want our employees to be stakeholders.
• Paid access to co-working spaces or a monthly internet allowance.
• Stipend to outfit your home office - We are 100% remote, so find that comfy chair!
• Yearly professional development stipend - We support career development for all employees.

Compensation determinations rely on various factors, encompassing the position level, the individual's skills, knowledge, and capabilities, the location of the role, internal fairness considerations, and alignment with market data.

Upwards, as an E-Verify participant and equal opportunity employer, does not discriminate based on race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or Veteran status. Rest assured that all your information will be treated confidentially in accordance with EEO guidelines.

Join us at Upwards and be part of a team that’s not just coding but creating meaningful change. Apply today!