Senior Software Engineer (Backend, Core)
Whoop is hiring a Senior Software Engineer (Backend, Core) in Boston, United States. It pays $150k-$215k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Whoop.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this software engineer role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Java, Kafka and Sqs.
- Level classifies it as a senior role.
- Level lists 125 other open roles at Whoop.
AI in this role
Build and scale backend core services and APIs for the WHOOP app platform.
At WHOOP, we're on a mission to unlock and inspire performance for life. WHOOP empowers members to perform at a higher level through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives. Our wearable technology monitors vital physiological metrics to offer personalized insights that enhance fitness, health, sleep, and recovery.
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Core team, you will build the foundations that power the WHOOP App and develop features that empower members to optimize performance and longevity. You will play a critical role in building and scaling the foundational systems that power the WHOOP member experience for fitness, sleep, strain, recovery, and integrations. You will partner closely with other engineers, product management, design, data science, and performance science to shape and build the polished member-facing experiences for these features.
Responsibilities
Lead the design and implementation of foundational backend capabilities that improve scalability, reliability, and developer productivity.
Drive technical planning for complex initiatives by defining scope, sequencing work, identifying risks, and communicating technical tradeoffs.
Deliver high-impact platform capabilities while balancing technical quality, business priorities, and data-informed engineering decisions.
Establish and evolve backend engineering standards through architecture discussions, code reviews, documentation, and technical leadership.
Mentor engineers and help grow the team's technical capabilities through coaching, feedback, and knowledge sharing.
Qualifications
Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives, influence engineering direction, and mentor other engineers.
Deep expertise in backend development, including Java, API design, distributed systems, and relational databases such as Postgres.
Experience designing scalable, reliable, and observable systems using cloud-native and event-driven architectures such as Kafka or SQS.
Strong engineering judgment with experience balancing technical quality, business priorities, and long-term maintainability.
Experience writing well-tested, maintainable software and establishing engineering best practices through technical leadership.
Excellent collaboration and communication skills with technical and non-technical partners.
Enthusiasm in leveraging AI tools while maintaining high standards for quality and engineering excellence.
Bonus: Experience building shared platform capabilities or contributing across mobile and backend
Learn more about our Software Org and how to be successful in your engineering career at WHOOP via our Career Framework.
This role is based in the WHOOP office located in Boston, MA. The successful candidate must be prepared to relocate if necessary to work out of the Boston, MA office.
Interested in the role, but don’t meet every qualification? We encourage you to still apply! At WHOOP, we believe there is much more to a candidate than what is written on paper, and we value character as much as experience. As we continue to build a diverse and inclusive environment, we encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply.
WHOOP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-verify to determine employment eligibility. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
How we rate this
Senior Software Engineer (Backend, Core) at Whoop rates 25 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Little AI. AI is not part of the work.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in software engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- This job starts at
- $150k
- Typical software engineer job
- $167k
This posting starts 10% below the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where backend was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where api design was part of your work. What did you do?
- What's a project where you used Java hands-on?
- Walk me through how you've used Kafka in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Backend, Distributed Systems, API Design, Java, and Kafka. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
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