Senior Software Engineer, Platform

About the opportunity

Pallet is building the infrastructure layer for the next generation of AI agents, and we're looking for Senior and/or Staff Platform Engineers to help us lay the foundation.

This isn't a role where you'll inherit someone else's architecture. You'll design it. You'll make the calls that determine how our platform scales from hundreds of users to millions. And you'll do it alongside a team that's done this before: Aren (ex-Google), Nilkanth (ex-founder, ex-DoorDash), and Vidhur (who led Document AI at Scale) in an industry worth trillions of dollars.

If you're the kind of engineer who gets energized by hard infrastructure problems, cares deeply about craft, and wants their fingerprints on something that matters, we'd love to meet you.

You could be a platform engineer anywhere, why us?

• Join a well-funded, high-growth startup on the path to IPO ($50M raised, 700% revenue growth in 2 years, targeting a $11T market)
• Work directly with our Head of Platform Engineering, ex-Google/Finch
• Help transform a massive industry and scale us toward a $10 B+ business

Why this role is different

Most platform roles at this stage ask you to maintain what's already there. This one asks you to build what doesn't exist yet: the core backbone that everything else at Pallet runs on. You'll have real ownership, real technical influence, and a front-row seat as we grow.

• Among the first Platform Engineers at Pallet, with outsized influence on architecture and culture
• Foundational, 0 to 1 infrastructure work powering a new class of AI agents
• Direct collaboration with founders and senior technical leadership, no bureaucracy, no layers
• Meaningful equity in a company operating at the frontier of applied AI

How you will make an impact

• Architect and own the core infrastructure powering our AI agent platform
• Design and implement high-throughput, reliable data pipelines built to scale
• Build backend systems capable of growing from hundreds to millions of users, and make deliberate decisions about when to over-engineer and when not to
• Drive technical architecture and system design conversations across the engineering team
• Integrate deeply with LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) and browser automation tooling
• Define engineering best practices as an early team member; your decisions will outlast your first quarter
• Lead end-to-end delivery of large-scale AI infrastructure projects

Preferred experience

• 6+ years of backend or platform engineering experience, with meaningful time spent on 0 to 1 and scaling challenges (Senior); 10+ years with demonstrated staff-level technical scope and cross-team influence (Staff)
• Deep experience with data pipelines, APIs, and systems that have to work reliably at scale
• Comfort navigating both greenfield systems and legacy infrastructure
• A track record of making good architectural decisions under uncertainty
• Someone who thrives in fast-moving environments and is energized, not drained, by ambiguity
• Strong communicator who can align engineers, founders, and stakeholders around technical direction
• Excited to work in person at our Fidi office
• Bonus: Node.js, TypeScript, GraphQL (our interviews are language-agnostic)

Our tech stack

• Database: PostgreSQL
• Backend: Node.js + TypeScript, Encore for server-side development and managed DevOps, hosted on GCP
• LLMs: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google (foundation models), Browserbase (browser automation)
• Frontend: React + TypeScript, hosted on Vercel

Interview Process

1. Intro Chat with Head of Talent (30 mins)
2. Technical Screen + Meet and Greet with an Engineer (60 mins) 
3. Executive Chat - Nilkanth, CTO (30-45 mins)
4. Final Interview, visit our Fidi office, and deep dive into technical and behavioral interviews (~3.5 hours)

Location

• San Francisco: Since we're a small team building 0-1 products, we prefer candidates to be comfortable working in an in-office environment in San Francisco. We typically come into the office 5 days a week. Relocation assistance can be provided for interested candidates.
• New York: Satellite Office with ~8 Pallet employees across engineering, operations, and success - we are seeking to hire and grow out the team more here. The team typically comes into the office 4-5 days a week. Relocation assistance is not provided for our New York office.

Compensation

The estimated salary range for this role is $195,000 – $265,000, depending on experience and skill set. In addition to base salary, we offer competitive equity, benefits, and opportunities for growth. Final compensation will be determined based on a combination of factors, including experience, qualifications, and location.

Top-Tier Benefits

🩺 Health, Vision, and Dental benefits 

🏝️ Flexible PTO

➕ Life Insurance and Accidental Insurance 

❤️‍🩹 Short-Term Disability Coverage

💸 Generous salary and equity for all staff

🪜 401k option; helping you save for the future

📚 Yearly learning and development stipend

🚌 Commuter benefits 

🚘 Uber ride stipend if you ever have to work late in the office 

🏡 Office home stipend to get you comfy in your space

🍔 Daily catered lunches provided by Sharebite (every meal you order, one meal gets donated)

🥤 Monthly happy hours

🎉 Annual Company Offsites; this year we'll be headed to Palm Springs 🌴 

Pallet is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.