Staff Golang Engineer - Remote-EMEA

WunderGraph is a fast-growing startup, and we’re on a mission to redesign how companies leverage GraphQL Federation at scale. Our North Star is to enable collaboration across small and large organizations by using APIs as the backbone of business growth. If you want to make an impact, have your voice heard, and work in a no‑BS organization where you can get stuff done—look no further and apply today! 🚀

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Staff Golang Engineer, you are the primary owner of the WunderGraph Cosmo Router, our high‑performance, Go‑based engine for GraphQL Federation. This router is the heart of our platform, processing mission‑critical traffic for developers at companies like eBay and SoundCloud. Your responsibility is to architect, build, and operate the fastest and most reliable router for federated GraphQL, directly contributing to our core competitive advantage. You will drive the evolution of its query compiler, plugin system, and overall performance, ensuring it scales to meet the demands of the largest enterprises while integrating seamlessly with our observability stack (OpenTelemetry, ClickHouse) and the rest of the Cosmo platform.

TEAM INTEGRATION

• You align with the CTO.

• You collaborate closely with the entire engineering team, product managers, and directly with customers. A key part of our culture is closing the feedback loop by putting engineers in direct contact with users through shared Slack channels and customer calls.

ROLE OBJECTIVES

You are successful if you:

• Solidify the Cosmo Router\’s reputation as the fastest, most reliable, and most extensible GraphQL Federation gateway in the market through your architectural and implementation work.

• Take full ownership of the Cosmo Router\’s roadmap and major features—from query planning and execution to its Go‑based plugin system—embodying our value of \”Velocity over Perfection\”.

• Drive the architectural vision for the router, making key decisions on concurrency patterns, performance optimization, and its integration with the broader Cosmo ecosystem.

• Bring deep Go performance and systems engineering expertise to the table, measurably leveling up the entire team through mentorship and by championing best practices for high‑performance networking services.

• Grow with WunderGraph as we continue to solidify our market leadership, expanding your influence across the product and organization.

ROLE TASKS

The role focuses on, but is not limited to:

• Architecting, building, and operating the WunderGraph Cosmo Router, with a relentless focus on performance, reliability, and scalability.

• Evolving the router\’s core query compiler and execution engine to optimize query plans and reduce latency for complex federated graphs.

• Enhancing and maintaining the router\’s Go‑based plugin system, enabling deep, performant customization for enterprise users.

• Ensuring the router integrates seamlessly with our observability stack, exporting rich metrics and traces via OpenTelemetry to platforms like ClickHouse.

• Embedding security best practices directly into the router, implementing features like JWT authentication and ensuring it meets enterprise and SOC 2 compliance standards.

• Mentoring other engineers on high‑performance Go development, providing insightful code and design reviews for router‑related features, and documenting its architecture.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Proven, extensive experience architecting and building high‑performance, low‑latency networking services in production using Go, with deep expertise in its concurrency models and performance profiling tools.

• A profound understanding of GraphQL, its execution semantics, and the specific challenges of GraphQL Federation. Hands‑on experience building or maintaining GraphQL gateways or routers is a significant plus.

• You thrive in the dynamic environment of a scaling, remote‑first company that values direct customer interaction and fast iteration.

• Experience building or working with developer infrastructure, API gateways, or products with a highly technical user base is strongly preferred.

• A self‑starter attitude and a leader’s mindset: you are comfortable with ambiguity, can identify and solve ill‑defined problems, and don’t need hand‑holding.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts clearly in a remote‑first environment.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• The WunderGraph Cosmo Router is universally recognized as the fastest and most reliable engine for GraphQL Federation, setting the industry benchmark for performance and solidifying our competitive advantage over alternatives.

• The router scales seamlessly to handle massive traffic surges for our largest enterprise customers, cementing Cosmo\’s reputation for rock‑solid stability and performance under pressure.

• You are recognized as the key technical leader and architect for the Cosmo Router, sought out for your expertise on our most complex challenges in high‑performance Go and distributed systems.

• Your architectural decisions and mentorship have measurably improved the router\’s performance, the team\’s Go expertise, and our overall engineering culture, embodying our value of \”Engineering Excellence\”.

• You continue to grow with us, expanding your influence across the product and organization and helping to define the future of API collaboration at WunderGraph.

Why WunderGraph?

• Work from wherever you thrive—we’re fully remote and globally distributed. If you\’re in Miami, come work with us in person! We also provide co‑working space options worldwide if needed.

• Pick your preferred work hardware

• We focus on getting stuff done, and on having fun whilst doing so: work hard, play hard!

• You can make a real difference and find lots of opportunities to grow together with us

• Discretionary PTO: take the time you need to recharge

• Competitive compensation

• Depending on location, we offer healthcare benefits according to local standards

• Team retreats across the globe

Note: This is a full‑time, fully remote position. We are looking for someone who is available to work during European (CET) business hours.

The Process

We respect your time and interest in WunderGraph. This is why we\’re aiming to make the process as fast as possible. Here\’s what you can expect:

• 30 min intro call with Alex from our People team

• 30 min technical background call with one of our engineers. Following this, you might receive a small take home assignment / programming task (max 2 – 3h effort) related to our open source platform. This is your chance to prove your skill!

• Complete the assignment and review together with the CTO

• Meet the founders

• Culture fit call with team members

• Offer

• Complete the assignment and review together with the CTO

• Meet the founders

• Culture fit call with team members

• Our process also includes reference and background checks. We aim to respond or provide feedback in 2 or 3 days between each stage of the process. We\’re usually hiring through Deel as our Employer of Record, except for Germany or Florida where we\’re hiring directly.

WunderGraph is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds.

We’re looking forward to your application so we can grow together!