Design, build, and maintain backend systems and services that support Tovala’s software products across web and mobile. Our current backend stack is Go and AWS, but we value your ability to learn and adapt over specific language experience.
Own problems end-to-end. You’ll scope work, make technical decisions, implement solutions, and see them through to production. You won’t wait to be handed a spec.
Use AI-assisted development tools and workflows as a core part of how you work. We expect you to have real experience here, whether that’s with tools like Cursor, Copilot, Claude Code, or similar, and to help shape how the broader team adopts these practices.
Work across the stack when the situation calls for it. While your depth is in backend engineering, you’re comfortable contributing to frontend work and aren’t boxed in by a single domain.
Collaborate directly with stakeholders and other engineers to understand customer problems, define solutions, and make smart trade-offs between speed and quality.
Contribute to architectural decisions and help evolve our technical approach as the team and product grow.
Review code thoughtfully, both human-written and AI-generated, with an eye toward system-level coherence, maintainability, and performance.
Mentor and support other engineers. Share what you know, raise the bar on engineering practices, and help create an environment where people do their best work.

Requirements

5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with meaningful depth in backend development (APIs, data pipelines, distributed systems, cloud infrastructure).
Strong fundamentals in systems design and architecture. You can make sound decisions about how services communicate, how data flows, and where complexity should live.
Demonstrated experience with AI-assisted software development. You’ve integrated AI tools into your daily workflow and can speak concretely about how they’ve changed the way you build software.
Ability to work across the stack. You have backend depth but can pick up frontend work (React, TypeScript, or equivalent) and contribute meaningfully when needed.
Excellent communication skills. You can explain technical decisions clearly to both engineers and non-technical partners, write well, and navigate cross-functional collaboration with ease.
Strong problem-solving instincts. You’re the kind of engineer who digs into the root cause, thinks about second-order effects, and finds pragmatic solutions.
A track record of owning and shipping projects with meaningful business impact, ideally in a fast-paced environment where priorities shift.
Experience with Go and/or AWS (our current primary backend stack).
Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation) and CI/CD pipelines.
Experience helping define or evolve AI development practices for a team or organization.
Experience building or integrating AI/ML features into production products (RAG systems, LLM integrations, chatbots).
Background working in a consumer product or food-tech company.

Benefits

Flexible paid time off (with a minimum of 15 days off you are highly encouraged to take)
Comprehensive healthcare coverage we really invest in
401k with match
Free Tovala Smart Oven and discounted Tovala meals
Paid holidays and our winter holiday office shutdown where the offices and facilities close for a week around Christmas and New Years
Various other perks - recognition programs, continued learning stipend, casual dress code, in-office coffee, snacks and drinks, and Tovala swag

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

backend developmentAPIsdata pipelinesdistributed systemscloud infrastructuresystems designarchitectureGoAWSReact

Soft Skills

communication skillsproblem-solvingcollaborationmentoringtechnical decision-makingadaptabilityownershipcritical thinkingpragmatic solutionscross-functional collaboration