Senior Backend Engineer

Who We Are and What We’re Building

At Goodwin, we build software for companies that sell private charter flights.

Today, brokers and operators still coordinate trips through spreadsheets, email threads, and phone calls. We’re replacing that manual back-and-forth with structured, real-time workflows that make pricing, availability, and logistics fast and reliable.

The problems we solve are complex and detail-heavy. Accuracy matters because flights are high-stakes. Speed matters because clients expect answers immediately. Our goal is to turn messy operational workflows into software aviation teams trust to run their business.

Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Goodwin is a fast-growing, distributed team across the U.S., combining aviation expertise with modern product and engineering talent.

About The Job

We are looking for remote-based Senior Backend Engineer in the central or eastern timezones in the US to help design and scale the systems that power the Goodwin platform.

The platform is already powering real charter operations today, but we’re continuing to expand it with new capabilities across sourcing, payments, and operational workflows. Engineers at Goodwin play a key role in designing the systems that support this next phase of the platform.

Our backend handles the logic behind:

• Aircraft sourcing and availability
• Pricing and proposal generation
• Real-time payments and banking workflows
• Trip lifecycle management
• Integrations across brokers, operators, financial systems, and more
  
  

These systems must be fast, reliable, and secure. In aviation, a delayed response or missing data can cost real deals.

What You’ll Do

• Design and build backend services that power Goodwin’s charter aviation platform
• Architect scalable RESTful APIs used across the product
• Design and maintain PostgreSQL schemas that model complex trip, pricing, and payment workflows
• Work with AWS services and DevOps tooling to deploy, monitor, and maintain production systems
• Build server-side applications using Node.js and Express
• Optimize queries and data flows to support real-time operational decision making. Design systems that handle high-volume sourcing, pricing, and trip data across thousands of aircraft options.
• Own and scale infrastructure within AWS
• Implement automated testing to ensure system reliability and prevent regressions
• Work closely with frontend engineers to connect user-facing workflows with backend systems
• Collaborate with product and operations teams to translate aviation workflows into software solutions
• Provide production support during critical operational periods when needed
• Improve system observability through logging, monitoring, and performance instrumentation.
• Use AI development tools (Claude, Cursor, etc.) to improve development velocity

What Does Success Look Like in This Role?

• Brokers and operators are impressed by how naturally the platform reflects the way they actually work. Complex real-world workflows  (sourcing aircraft, pricing trips, managing proposals, and coordinating logistics) feel clear and intuitive because the architecture behind them is thoughtfully designed.
• The platform responds quickly and reliably, even when thousands of aircraft options, trip variables, and pricing calculations are happening at once. What used to take dozens of emails and spreadsheets now happens in seconds.
• Other engineers enjoy building on the systems you’ve designed. Your APIs are clean, your data models are clear, and your architecture creates a strong foundation for the rest of the team to move faster.
• When new capabilities are introduced, whether it’s payments infrastructure, sourcing improvements, or new operational workflows, they fit naturally into the platform because the backend systems were designed with long-term scale in mind.
• When issues arise, they are resolved quickly and thoughtfully because the systems are observable, well-structured, and owned by engineers who take pride in them.
• You actively use AI tools to speed up development, reduce friction, and improve the quality of your work.
• You consistently hit your deadlines (We know, it sounds basic! But it matters.) Your team and our customers count on you to deliver what you commit to, so your work keeps moving and momentum stays strong.

Requirements

• 10+ years of backend engineering experience
• Strong experience building production-grade web applications
• Proficiency with Node.js and Express
• Experience designing and building RESTful APIs
• Experience working with AWS services and DevOps tooling in production environments
• Deep experience with PostgreSQL, including schema design and query optimization
• Experience working with AWS infrastructure
• Experience building secure backend systems
• Familiarity with Prisma or other ORM tools
• Strong debugging and performance optimization skills
• Ability to collaborate across engineering, product, and operations teams
• Bonus: Experience in fintech or AI-powered apps
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship

Role Logistics

• Location: This role is remote within the United States. We are currently focused on hiring candidates in the Eastern or Central Time Zones to support team coverage and collaboration.
• Compensation: The base salary range for this role is $150,000 – $195,000. Actual compensation will depend on experience, skill level, and demonstrated impact.
• Interview Process: Candidates who move forward after the recruiter screen will complete a coding assessment as part of the interview process. Final interviews will include technical and team conversations.
• Agencies: We are not working with agencies or third-party recruiters for this role and will not consider unsolicited outreach.