Astra

Staff Backend Engineer

Only, Tennessee, United States

Not SpecifiedCompensation
Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Fintech, PaymentsIndustries

Backend Engineer

Employment Type: Full-Time Location Type: Remote (U.S. only) Salary: [Salary information not provided]

Position Overview

Astra is building modern infrastructure for moving money, offering APIs and automation tools for real-time transfers, bank debits, card disbursements, and more. Our platform is designed for observability, reliability, and scale. We are seeking a backend engineer with strong system design experience and a high level of ownership to help shape the core of Astra’s platform, including our global ledger, orchestration layer, and customer-facing APIs. You will collaborate closely with product, compliance, and operations to deliver reliable systems that move and reconcile millions of dollars daily. This role is ideal for individuals who thrive in early-stage environments and are eager to build foundational systems from the ground up.

Responsibilities

  • Design and own key backend systems, including payments orchestration, ledger primitives, and internal operational flows.
  • Help evolve our service architecture as we scale, focusing on financial state modeling, authentication management, and retry mechanisms.
  • Write clean, well-tested Python code using Flask and GCP-managed services.
  • Collaborate closely with other engineers, product, and cross-functional teams to understand customer needs and deliver robust APIs and features.
  • Contribute to our observability, reliability, and deployment workflows.
  • Participate in code reviews, technical planning, and mentoring.

Requirements

  • 7+ years of experience building backend systems in production.
  • Strong system design and architecture skills, with a proven track record of designing scalable and evolving services.
  • Expertise in Python and API design; experience with Flask or similar frameworks is essential.
  • Familiarity with distributed systems, asynchronous processing, and idempotency.
  • A product-minded approach, with a passion for building platforms that handle real-world constraints such as money, compliance, and reconciliation.
  • Comfortable taking projects from ideation to implementation with minimal oversight.

Bonus Points

  • Experience with GCP, Terraform, payments/fintech, or event-driven architectures.

Our Tech Stack

  • Languages: Python (Flask/FastAPI), TypeScript (React)
  • Infrastructure: GCP (App Engine, Pub/Sub, Cloud Tasks, BigQuery, Datastore, GCS), Terraform
  • CI/CD & Monitoring: GitHub Actions, CircleCI, Cloud Logging
  • Data: BigQuery, Datastore, GCS

Why Join Astra?

Astra is a remote-first company tackling complex challenges in financial infrastructure. We aim to make money movement programmable, transparent, and scalable, from real-time money movement to chargeback automation and reconciliation. As an early engineer, you will have significant ownership over architecture and systems that directly impact customer experiences, with your work going into production and shaping our platform for years to come.

Company Culture & Remote Work

Astra is a remote-first company hiring exclusively within the U.S. We foster a culture of thoughtful collaboration, clarity, and initiative. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.

Application Instructions

[Application instructions not provided]

Skills

Python
Flask
GCP
System Design
API Design
Distributed Systems
Asynchronous Processing
Idempotency
Terraform
Fintech
Event-Driven Architecture

Astra

Provides launch services for small satellites

About Astra

Astra provides launch services specifically for small satellites, catering to commercial businesses, government agencies, and research institutions that need reliable access to space. The company operates small, agile rockets designed to transport these satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). Astra's approach focuses on making space more accessible by reducing the costs and complexities associated with satellite launches, which allows a wider range of customers to utilize their services. Unlike many competitors, Astra emphasizes efficiency and cost-effectiveness in its operations, aiming to meet the growing demand for satellite-based services such as Earth observation and telecommunications. The company's goal is to facilitate more frequent and affordable satellite launches, thereby expanding opportunities for various applications in the space industry.

Alameda, CaliforniaHeadquarters
2016Year Founded
$291.8MTotal Funding
IPOCompany Stage
AerospaceIndustries
201-500Employees

Benefits

Competitive Medical (HMO & PPO)/Dental/Vision plans
Company paid Short Term Disability and Long Term Disability plans
401K with company match
Flexible Spending Account
Commuter benefits
Caregiving support benefits
Company perks, like PetPlan, curated gym/travel/products discounts
Free lunch
Company events

Risks

Going private may limit Astra's access to public capital markets.
Astra faces financial instability due to liquidity crunch and high cost of capital.
Intensifying competition in the small satellite launch market could impact Astra's market share.

Differentiation

Astra offers cost-effective launch services for small satellite payloads.
The company focuses on agile rockets for frequent access to space.
Astra provides online reservations for payload deliveries to various orbits.

Upsides

Growing demand for small satellite constellations aligns with Astra's business model.
U.S. government investment in space technology presents contract opportunities for Astra.
Astra's reusable rocket technology could lead to significant cost reductions.

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