The Staff Backend Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for the long-term health and direction of our backend services. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy to identify and solve our most critical technical challenges, often in areas that are loosely defined or cross multiple domains. Unlike a Senior Engineer who masters a specific domain, you will provide the technical vision and architectural guardrails for several domains. You will be a go-to expert for other engineers, leading by example with exceptional code, robust system design, and strategic thinking that anticipates future business needs.Key Responsibilities & Deliverables:Lead the design, development, and evolution of large-scale, high-traffic systems or company initiatives, often across multiple teamsDefine the long-term technical roadmap and architectural vision for key areas of our platform, and articulate the return on investment (ROI) to engineering leaders and other departmentsDecompose complex business and system problems into clear, scalable, and elegant technical designsAct as a technical lead on cross-team projects, ensuring that architectural principles and quality standards are metMentor senior engineers, providing deep technical guidance and fostering their growth into future technical leadersRepresent engineering in cross-functional discussionsDrive innovation by prototyping and championing the adoption of new technologies and methodologies, including the strategic use of LLMs and AI-driven development practicesWork on foundational infrastructure and application platforms that enable other engineering teams to build sustainable products with long-term visionKey Skills:Essential:Expert-level proficiency in Java and related frameworks and librariesDeep knowledge of middleware services & frameworks (such as relational databases, NoSQL databases, messaging systems, etc.) and nuanced understanding of their internalsDemonstrated experience designing, building, and ope