Staff Cloud Backend Developer
At a glance
Senior Backend Engineering role at ALSO. Palo Alto · full-time · $200,000–$250,000 base.
techroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Shape backend architecture for secure IoT infrastructure and fleet management, then help build those systems
- Improve cloud APIs, data models, service connections, event processing, monitoring and release workflows
- Build shared API gateway, caching and schema services, plus integrations with external platforms
- Design reliable systems for global availability, and strengthen platform security, privacy and user authentication
- Set production safeguards through automated tests and performance monitoring, while mentoring engineers and guiding technical decisions
What you bring
- At least ten years building and scaling backend systems, including a full lifecycle managing remote devices
- You have designed, launched and operated production systems built from the ground up
- Strong AWS experience and command of API, schema and data-exchange design
- Deep knowledge of event-driven systems, messaging queues and authentication or authorization protocols
- Familiarity with IoT protocols, device lifecycle management and telemetry pipelines
Who this fits
This staff-level role suits a senior backend engineer who can guide architecture, mentor colleagues and contribute to hiring and engineering practices. The position is onsite in Palo Alto.
From the employer
About ALSO.
We’re ALSO, an electric mobility company originally conceived as a part of Rivian. We’re a passionate team of builders, dreamers, doers and innovators, focused on creating entirely new (not to mention, innovative and delightful) vertically integrated, small EVs designed to meet the global mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Our mission is to inspire everyone to ride ALSO—replacing many local car, truck and SUV miles with ones on vehicles that are more affordable, more enjoyable and 10-50x more efficient.
As a Staff Backend Developer on the ALSO backend team, you'll drive technical excellence and architectural decisions for the core infrastructure behind the customer experience on ALSO's flagship connected EVs, leading the evolution of our connected EV platform from secure data ingestion to product-facing APIs. The systems you build will power core product features and enhance our analytics and fleet intelligence capabilities, shaping how we build and scale at ALSO. You balance speed and rigor, know how to scale systems, and thrive in fast-paced 0→1 environments.
What You’ll Do
Contribute to the architecture and implementation of backend systems to support secure, scalable IoT infrastructure and its fleet management
Drive improvements to core cloud infrastructure: API design, database schema, service interactions, event handling, observability, and deployment workflows
Contribute to shared services for API gateway, caches, and schema upgrades
Build data and API integrations with external services and partner platforms
Strengthen security and privacy across the platform, including user authentication
Design and implement systems for high availability and geographic redundancy, ensuring reliability across global deployments
Ensure production readiness with automated testing, performance monitoring, and deployment safety
Mentor engineers and contribute to technical decision-making, hiring processes, and engineering best practices
Drive and define a team culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning
What You’ll Bring
10+ years building and scaling back-end systems, including at least one full lifecycle of managing remote devices
Proven ability to design, ship, and operate production systems from scratch
Strong experience with AWS (e.g. Lambda, ECR/ECS, DynamoDB, S3, IAM)
Mastery of API design (REST/GraphQL), schema design, and data exchange (gRPC/JSON-RPC)
Excellent knowledge of event-driven architecture and message queueing systems (e.g. Kafka, Redis, SQS/SNS, pub/sub patterns)
Experience with authentication/authorization protocols (OAuth2, OID, JWT, SAML, mTLS)
Familiarity with IoT protocols (MQTT, CoAP), device lifecycle management, and telemetry pipelines
The salary for this position ranges from $200,000 - 250,000 per year, depending on experience, qualifications, and location.
Perks & Benefits
Robust health coverage — excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by ALSO with FSA & HSA options
One Medical membership and dedicated insurance advocates
Rich fertility and family building benefits with Progyny
Flexible time off
401(k) match
Why ALSO.
We’re passionate about helping the world find a better way to get there—wherever it is you’re headed.
We’re located in the heart of Silicon Valley and have brought together a world-class team from some of the biggest brands in the technology, automotive, cycling, outdoor recreation and retail spaces.
Together we’re working hands-on to imagine, design and build an entirely new solution to a global set of transportation challenges.
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