Staff Software Engineer, Backend Platform
Robinhood is hiring a Staff Software Engineer, Backend Platform in New York, United States. It pays $230k-$270k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Robinhood.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this software engineer role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
- Pay on this posting starts 37% higher than the typical software engineer posting on Level.
- The posting mentions Python, Java and Git among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as a senior role.
- Robinhood has 156 other open roles on Level.
AI in this role
Staff software engineer building backend platforms, shared frameworks, and developer tooling at scale.
Join us in building the future of finance.
Our mission is to democratize finance for all. An estimated $124 trillion of assets will be inherited by younger generations in the next two decades. The largest transfer of wealth in human history. If you’re ready to be at the epicenter of this historic cultural and financial shift, keep reading.
About the team + role
We are building an elite team, applying frontier technologies to the world’s biggest financial problems. We’re looking for bold thinkers. Sharp problem-solvers. Builders who are wired to make an impact. Robinhood isn’t a place for complacency, it’s where ambitious people do the best work of their careers. We’re a high-performing, fast-moving team with ethics at the center of everything we do. Expectations are high, and so are the rewards.
The Backend Platform team’s mission is to enable fast, safe, and reliable backend development at scale. The team builds and maintains shared frameworks, libraries, and tooling that support hundreds of engineers working across backend services. By improving development workflows, strengthening security practices, and standardizing how services are built and maintained, this team plays a critical role in how quickly and safely products reach customers. You will help shape the foundation that backend engineers rely on every day!
As a Staff Software Developer, you will set technical direction and lead large, multi-team initiatives that improve how backend systems are developed and operated. You will design and guide adoption of platform capabilities such as service frameworks, static analysis systems, and developer tooling. This role focuses on solving complex system-level challenges, influencing engineering practices across teams, and ensuring long-term scalability and reliability of backend development. You will also support engineers through technical guidance and contribute to planning and execution of major platform investments!
This role is based in our New York City, New York office(s), with in-person attendance expected at least 3 days per week.
At Robinhood, we believe in the power of in-person work to accelerate progress, spark innovation, and strengthen community. Our office experience is intentional, energizing, and designed to fully support high-performing teams.
What you’ll do
- You define and lead large-scale initiatives that improve backend development systems, including frameworks, tooling, and shared libraries
- You design long-term technical solutions that support scalability, reliability, and maintainability across backend services
- You guide the evolution of core tooling such as static analysis, formatting systems, and service scaffolding used across the codebase
- You partner with engineering teams such as infrastructure, security, and product engineering to plan and execute platform improvements
- You mentor engineers and provide technical guidance that improves code quality, system design, and development practices
What you bring
- You have extensive experience building and scaling backend systems using Go and Python
- You have deep knowledge of backend frameworks such as Django, gRPC or comparable systems in Go
- You have experience designing internal platforms, developer tooling (Bazel, etc), or shared infrastructure used by multiple teams
- You have demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects and influence engineering direction across teams
- You are committed to improving developer workflows, system quality, and maintainability through thoughtful design
What we offer
- Challenging, high-impact work to grow your career
- Performance driven compensation with multipliers for outsized impact, bonus programs, and equity ownership
- Top tier benefits to fuel your work, including supplemental health insurance, ancillary insurance, and mental health support programs
- Lifestyle wallet - a highly flexible employer-paid benefits spending account expenses beyond traditional benefits such as wellness, childcare, learning, and more.
- Time off to recharge including company holidays, paid time off, sick time, paid volunteer time off, parental leave, and more!
- Exceptional office experience with catered meals, events, and comfortable workspaces.
- Monthly commuter stipend to help offset in-office commuting costs
Our team is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming interview experience for all candidates. If you require a specific accommodation during the application or interview process due to a physical or mental condition, please complete this Applicant Accommodation Form to notify our team. The form should only be completed if you need a specific accommodation.
In addition to the base pay range listed below, this role is also eligible for bonus opportunities + equity + benefits.
Base pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. The expected base pay range for this role is based on the location where the work will be performed and is aligned to one of 3 compensation zones. For other locations not listed, compensation can be discussed with your recruiter during the interview process.
Base Pay Range:
Zone 1 (Menlo Park, CA; New York, NY; Bellevue, WA; Washington, DC)$230,000—$270,000 USDZone 2 (Denver, CO; Westlake, TX; Chicago, IL)$203,000—$238,000 USDZone 3 (Lake Mary, FL; Clearwater, FL; Gainesville, FL)$180,000—$211,000 USDClick here to learn more about our Total Rewards, which vary by region and entity.
If our mission energizes you and you’re ready to build the future of finance, we look forward to seeing your application.
AI Usage Disclosure: Robinhood uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of our recruiting process. These tools enhance the efficiency and consistency of our hiring process; however, all hiring decisions are made by our hiring teams.
Robinhood provides equal opportunity for all applicants, offers reasonable accommodations upon request, and complies with applicable equal employment and privacy laws. Inclusion is built into how we hire and work—welcoming different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences so everyone can do their best. Please review the Privacy Policy for your country of application.
How we rate this
Staff Software Engineer, Backend Platform at Robinhood rates 10 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
- $230k
- Typical software engineer job
- $168k
This posting starts 37% above the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where backend architecture 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?
- Tell me about a project where code review was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used Python in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Backend Architecture, Distributed Systems, API Design, Code Review, and Python. 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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