[Hiring] Staff Backend Engineer @Hatch

Role Description

You'll own the architecture, delivery, and reliability of the backend behind Hatch's mobile apps and IoT devices. That means Java and Python REST APIs, AWS IoT, Lambda, and the monitoring, alerting, and DevOps practices that keep millions of devices humming in real homes.

You’re a great fit if you thrive in environments of rapid learning and delivery. You’re self-motivated and have demonstrated strong ownership and self-direction. You strive to understand the business of what we are trying to accomplish and push engineering solutions to provide customer value. As a small team where AI-assisted development is core to how we work, we expect this senior role to ramp up quickly, use AI fluently in their day-to-day, and deliver broadly across our backend systems.

Working across Mobile, Embedded, and Product, you'll lead system design, set technical direction, and mentor engineers. It's a uniquely end-to-end role—cloud APIs on one side, physical devices on the other.

What You'll Do

• First 90 Days: Learn & Contribute
  • Dig into our backend architecture and tools through both team walkthroughs and your own deep exploration, and come back with clear observations.
  • Learn what drives the business and bring sharp judgement to what we prioritize.
  • Own and ship a high-impact backend project end-to-end in our Spring Boot + Hibernate stack, using AI fluently to accelerate delivery.
  • Proactively engage in and contribute to architecture conversations and cross-team design.
  • Build strong working relationships with peers across Mobile, Embedded, and Product.
• First 6 Months: Drive Real Impact
  • Thoroughly understand the end-to-end flow of the entire backend architecture and the interactions with the app and device firmware.
  • Propose and lead architecture or refactor projects that improve system scalability and reliability. Self-identify and drive the resolution of troubleshooting issues.
  • Own a core area like IoT device communication, registration/auth flows, device routine scheduling, or backend support for mobile app features.
  • Improve observability using Graphite, ELK, or other internal monitoring tools.
  • Mentor teammates and model pragmatic, high-quality engineering decisions.
• First Year: Transform & Scale
  • Lead the design and rollout of new backend systems or large-scale refactors.
  • Own and drive backend improvements that elevate reliability, scalability, and developer experience.
  • Build reusable libraries, templates, and patterns that increase engineering consistency.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in backend engineering, with deep expertise in Java (11+) and Spring Boot.
• Familiarity and experience with Groovy.
• Experience with Python backend services.
• Track record of designing and building scalable, RESTful JSON APIs.
• Technical skills: Distributed Systems, Java, Groovy, Python, AWS, MySQL, Infra and Monitoring Tools (Ansible, Jenkins, ELK, Graphite, Docker, etc.).
• Ability to write automated tests and explain how and where to use them.
• Desire for elegance and simplicity in code.
• Judgement and humility in problem-solving.
• Unafraid of new, unknown tech.
• Collaborative spirit and clear communication skills.

Bonus Points

• Ansible-based DevOps pipelines.
• Connected Hardware Experience.
• MQTT.

Benefits

• 100% paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees (80% for dependents, including domestic partners).
• Meaningful equity—you’re an owner here.
• 401(k) match (no vesting schedule!).
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• 16 free therapy sessions (for you + one other adult in your life).
• Financial support for family planning.
• Remote office + monthly internet reimbursement.
• Friends & family discounts on Hatch products.
• Exclusive discounts on travel, entertainment, and top retail brands.
• And so many more spontaneous perks!