Backend Engineer

Lightning AI is the company behind PyTorch Lightning. Founded in 2019, we build an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems—designed to take ideas from research to production with less friction. We serve solo researchers, startups, and large enterprises. Lightning AI operates globally with offices in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and London.

The people who thrive here are builders who move fast, communicate openly, take ownership, and continuously improve themselves, their teams, and our company. Here's what that looks like in practice:

• Move with Urgency: We move quickly, make thoughtful decisions, and keep momentum.
• Take Ownership: We own outcomes, not just our individual work.
• Communicate Openly: We communicate directly, seek to understand, and create clarity for others.
• Build Great Teams: We lead by example, empower others, and create healthy teams.
• Raise the Bar: We're always improving ourselves.
• Think Long-Term: We design for what's next.

We're looking for a Backend Engineer to help develop and scale the Lightning AI platform, spanning APIs, infrastructure, billing, security, and integrations. In this role, you'll take ownership of key features and drive them end-to-end, working closely with engineering, product, and design to ship high-quality, iterative improvements. This is an opportunity to build systems that support real-world machine learning workloads at scale.

What You'll Do:

• Write readable/testable/efficient code in Go (Golang).
• Build deep expertise in our technology stack to deliver new features, improve system stability, and increase overall performance.
• Partner with engineering and product leaders on developing the Lightning product.
• Evaluate, strengthen, and document technical architecture, tools, and processes.
• Maintain software quality, implement automation, drive continuous delivery, and reduce time to production.
• Mentor and coach engineers on system design and problem-solving.

What You'll Need:

• Extensive experience writing efficient, maintainable code in Go.
• Familiarity with best practices in testing, readability, and optimization.
• Broad knowledge of backend and frontend systems.
• Experience with cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) is a strong advantage.
• Proven ability to take ownership of key features and drive end-to-end development.
• Commitment to software quality, test automation, and continuous delivery.
• Hands-on experience as a backend or product engineer in a SaaS technology company.
• Ability to operate in high uncertainty and rapidly changing environments.

We are committed to offering competitive compensation that reflects the value each team member brings to our mission. Final offers are based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, and role expectations. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package includes a discretionary bonus, a meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits and Perks:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
• Meaningful Equity: RSUs that give employees a stake in the company's long-term success.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) matching (U.S.) and pension contributions (U.K.).
• Flexible Time Off: Unlimited PTO, company holidays, and floating holidays.
• Company-Wide Winter Break: Two weeks of company closure each winter.
• Paid Parental & Family Leave: Paid leave to support you and your family.
• Professional Development: Annual learning and development allowance.
• Wellness Benefits: Wellness and work-from-home stipends.
• Sabbatical Program: Four weeks of paid sabbatical leave after four years of service.
• Flexible Work: Flexible schedules and a hybrid work model.
• In-Office Meals: Complimentary meals at our office hubs.

At Lightning AI, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to any protected characteristic.