Senior Software Engineer, Backend

About Grab and our workplace

Grab is Southeast Asia’s leading superapp. We are dedicated to improving the lives of millions of users across the region by providing them everyday services such as deliveries, mobility, financial services, enterprise services and others. More than that, we provide the opportunity for them to have a better life. And that aspiration starts inside Grab because we believe in a seamless blend of work and home life, making every aspect of life better for all.

Guided by The Grab Way, which spells out our mission, how we believe we can achieve it, and our operating principles—the 4Hs: Heart, Hunger, Honour and Humility—we work to create economic empowerment for the people of Southeast Asia. With our unwavering commitment to our values, we believe that we're more than a service provider; we're agents of positive change.

Get to Know the Team

The Mobility team is an established team responsible for the ride-hailing module in the Grab app. We improve the core transport booking experience.

We are working on high throughput, real-time distributed systems that use machine learning techniques to solve hundreds of millions of requests per day. Our mission is to offer the best products and experiences to our passengers to increase adoption and engagement of our services. Our team has direct end-user contact, and impact on the bottom line for Grab.

Get to Know the Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Software Engineer, Backend to join our growing engineering team in Beijing, China. You will be reporting to Senior Software Engineering Manager. You will take ownership of designing, building, and optimizing critical backend systems that power our platform at scale. You will work with cross-functional teams to architect solutions and across our backend infrastructure. This is an opportunity to improve systems that serve millions of users while advancing your career in a dynamic, forward-thinking organization.

This role is onsite based in our Beijing, China office.

The Critical Tasks You Will Perform

• You will work with Product/Design/Analytics teams to understand problems, requirements, provide feedback, options, trade offs, and timelines.
• You will collaborate with Android/IOS/Backend/QA/ML Engineers to brainstorm and implement technical solutions that are scalable and addressing the actual problems.
• You will write code that is reusable, scalable and testable. Make sure features are delivered on time and with high quality.
• You will review code and engineering specs, provide constructive feedback and aim to raise the engineering bar.
• You will be responsible and responsive during on-call duty. Triage, debug, mitigate and fix complex issues. Assist on ad hoc queries from other teams.
• You will mentor junior engineers and contribute to the team's overall growth and knowledge sharing

What Essential Skills You Will Need

• You have Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field
• You have 3+ years of professional software engineering experience in distributed systems environments
• You have proficiency in at least one backend programming language (Go, C++, Python, or similar)
• Has in-depth experience using AI agents to solve problems.
• You have experience with computer science fundamentals, including algorithms, data structures, and system design principles
• You have experience developing large-scale, high-throughput distributed systems
• You have solid knowledge of relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL databases (DynamoDB, MongoDB, Cassandra, or similar)
• You have experience with cloud infrastructure platforms, AWS, including auto-scaling and resource

Benefits at Grab:

We care deeply about your well-being and are committed to supporting you every step of the way. Here are some of the global benefits we offer:

• Protect and provide for your loved ones with peace of mind, knowing we have your back with Term Life Insurance and comprehensive Medical Insurance.
• Craft a benefits package that suits your unique needs and aspirations with GrabFlex, because we believe in empowering you to thrive.
• Embrace the magic of new life and create lasting memories with your family through Maternity and Paternity Leave.
• Life can be overwhelming, but you're never alone. Our confidential Grabber Assistance Programme is here to guide and uplift you and your loved ones through life's challenges.
• Your well-being is our priority. Benefit from our holistic well-being initiatives through Wellbeing@Grab, including health programmes, informative webinars, and vibrant carnivals.
• Achieve a harmonious work-life balance with our FlexWork arrangements, allowing you to adapt and thrive in your personal and professional life.

We’ve got many different benefits hyper localised in each country. Speak to your recruiter during your interview to find out more.

What we stand for at Grab:

We are committed to building an inclusive and equitable workplace that enables diverse Grabbers to grow and perform at their best. As an equal opportunity employer, we consider all candidates fairly and equally regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, family commitments, physical and mental impairments or disabilities, and other attributes that make them unique. If you require accommodations to fully participate in the recruitment process, you are encouraged to include your request(s) when applying.

We deliver the greatest impact and ideas when we bring together diverse perspectives. It is what enables us to spread opportunities to Grabbers and our partners. It’s not a box-ticking exercise; it’s who we are.