Backend Engineer

Position Overview

Customer.io is seeking experienced backend engineers who are passionate about reliability, performance, and scalability. In this role, you will design, build, and evolve the systems that power communication at massive scale, helping to push the boundaries of what great engineering can look like. You will work with technologies like Go, React, Ember, and AI to deliver automated communication that users want to receive.

About Customer.io

Over 7,500 companies, from startups to global brands, use our platform to send billions of emails, push notifications, in-app messages, and SMS daily. Customer.io powers automated communication that people actually want to receive. We help teams send smarter, more relevant messages using real-time behavioral data.

What You'll Do

• Design and build distributed systems in Go that help customers send timely, relevant messages at scale.
• Collaborate across teams to debug issues and deliver reliable solutions.
• Own problems end to end, from architecture and schema design to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
• Share knowledge and raise the bar by sharing your progress publicly through short videos, thoughtful writing, and mentorship.
• Leverage AI tools to prototype, move faster, and make better decisions.

What We're Looking For

• 7+ years of experience building scalable, distributed systems in Go.
• Comfort working in cloud-native environments (AWS, GCP).
• Familiarity with relational databases (we use MySQL) and an understanding of performance tradeoffs.
• Experience with observability tooling and operating production systems.
• A bias for action over perfection, and pride in owning technical decisions.

What We Value

• Ownership: You own problems end to end, move fast, act like an owner, and thrive in ambiguity. You've led complex projects before and are ready to do it again.
• Engineers with Product Taste: You think like a user, not just an engineer. You care about how your systems power real customer value and how to make them better.
• Healthy Skepticism: You bring rigor and creativity. Best practices matter, but never more than forward motion.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $150,000 - $200,000 USD (or equivalent in local currency), depending on experience and subject to market rate adjustment.
• Benefits Package:
  • 100% coverage of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and supplemental insurance premiums for you and your family.
  • 16 weeks paid parental leave.
  • Unlimited PTO.
  • Stipends for remote work and wellness.
  • Professional development budget.
  • And more.
  • See full benefits here →

Our Process

Our hiring process is designed to be clear and human, without trick questions.

1. Application: We review everyone with care. Tell us why you're interested.
2. Recruiter Call (30 mins): A discussion about your aspirations and our work environment.
3. Behavioral Interview (60 mins): Conversation with a hiring manager focusing on experience, values, and working style, including topics like ownership, product thinking, and collaboration.
4. Technical Interview (60 mins): A collaborative system design conversation centered on scaling challenges.
5. Take-Home Assignment: A short, realistic task similar to work you'd perform here.
6. Assignment Review Call (60 mins): A discussion about your submitted work, including tradeoffs, priorities, and potential iterations.

All final candidates will undergo a background check and employment verification.

Company Commitment

Customer.io recognizes the stifling impact of systemic injustice on diverse communities. We commit to using our influence to increase inclusion and equity within the tech industry. We strive to build an inclusive team culture.