Software Engineer, Applications – App Foundations, Senior

Benchling

Senior Software Engineer driving design and development for Benchling's Lab Notebook and enterprise systems. Leading technical direction, mentoring teams, and collaborating across divisions.

Posted 7/22/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $225,378 - $304,924 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in architecting and implementing scalable backend systems and APIs for cloud-based applications, with a strong focus on technical leadership, mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration. Proven ability to drive complex initiatives and translate customer needs into effective technical solutions while maintaining high standards of quality and compliance.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Backend Systems DevelopmentAPI Design and ImplementationTechnical Leadership and MentorshipScalable Architecture DesignCross-Functional Collaboration

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Software EngineeringCloud-Based ApplicationsFull-Stack DevelopmentSystem ArchitectureTechnical Decision-MakingData Capture ImprovementAudit ReportingCompliance WorkflowsDocument Lifecycle ManagementCode Review

Soft Skills

Excellent Communication SkillsInfluence and AlignmentMentorshipProblem-SolvingTeam Collaboration

Industry Keywords

Life SciencesBiotech KnowledgeGxP-Regulated SoftwareAuditCompliance

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Cloud

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as the senior technical authority for the Lab Notebook and Enterprise Lifecycle teams, driving the design and development of the Notebook, structured data-input, and enterprise lifecycle systems that anchor the Benchling product.
Independently architect and implement solutions to complex, open-ended problems — from system architecture to backend models and APIs to rich frontend UI — in areas such as comprehensive audit coverage, review and approval flows, scalable export systems, backups, and document lifecycle management.
Lead large, multi-quarter initiatives: break down ambiguous requirements into concrete technical plans and iterative delivery milestones, designing for scale and reliability across a growing enterprise customer base.
Use technical decision-making as a tool of engineering strategy — knowing when to leverage existing platform capabilities, when to take on technical debt deliberately, and when to preserve optionality for the long term.
Act as a force multiplier across the Applications division: help set engineering direction, raise standards for quality and architecture, and influence technical choices beyond your immediate teams.
Provide technical leadership through code review, architectural guidance, and mentorship of engineers across all experience levels.
Partner closely with product management, design, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate customer needs — including regulatory and compliance needs — into technical solutions.
Explore and evaluate opportunities to leverage AI and LLMs to improve data capture, audit reporting, and compliance workflows for our customers.
Collaborate with other teams to ensure our horizontal systems integrate seamlessly and enable product development across the organization.
Own end-to-end delivery of critical features — from planning and development through deployment, maintenance, and monitoring — and help scale our tooling, engineering processes, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding.

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a demonstrated progression of increasing scope and impact.
Experience as a technical lead on significant projects involving multiple engineers across multiple quarters.
Strong experience building backend systems and APIs for cloud-based web applications, plus the ability to build full-stack when needed.
Proven ability to design scalable, robust architectures that align with business requirements and long-term maintainability, especially for horizontal systems that many teams build on.
Track record of independently scoping and driving initiative-level work whose impact spans multiple teams and shapes an entire product area or division.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills — able to produce clear technical designs and use influence rooted in technical expertise to align other engineers on an implementation strategy.
Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop other engineers, raising the team's bar in areas such as testing, performance, and maintainability.
Interest in learning about life sciences. Prior biotech knowledge is appreciated but not required; enthusiasm to learn is essential. (Experience with audit, compliance, or GxP-regulated software is a plus.)

Benefits

Comp & perks

U.S. Benefits
Full-time U.S. employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits program including equity, health, dental, vision, 401(k)+ employer match, wellness, commuter, and more.