Software Engineer, Backend – Level 5

Snap Inc.

. Design, implement, and operate critical and scalable services, including user identity services, friend graph, and core persistence layer .

Posted 10/1/2026full-timeUnited StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $209,000 - $313,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in designing and implementing scalable backend services, with a strong focus on operational excellence, security, and high availability. Proficient in leveraging AI tools and collaborating across teams to deliver innovative solutions in distributed systems.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Backend Services DevelopmentMicroservices ArchitectureJava, C++, PythonCloud ComputingAI Tools Proficiency

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Software DevelopmentDistributed SystemsNoSQL SolutionsKubernetesLarge-Scale System DesignMachine LearningNatural Language ProcessingSecurityNetworkingData Storage

Soft Skills

CollaborationAdaptability

Tools & Technologies

MemcacheRedisGoogle ServicesAWS Services

Certifications & Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Computer ScienceMaster's Degree in Technical FieldPhD in Relevant Technical Field

Industry Keywords

Operational ExcellenceScalabilityCost ManagementIncident InvestigationHotfix Resolution

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSCloudDistributed SystemsJavaKubernetesMicroservicesNoSQLPythonRedisC++

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design, implement, and operate critical and scalable services, including user identity services, friend graph, and core persistence layer
Work across teams to understand product requirements, evaluate trade-offs, and deliver solutions for innovative products
Evaluate, test, and debug work while maintaining high quality
Advocate for and apply best practices in availability, scalability, operational excellence, and cost management
Use AI tools and high-velocity engineering workflows to design and ship scalable services while maintaining code correctness, security, and production-ready quality
Independently execute medium-sized features over a few weeks and multiple pull requests
Participate in incident or hotfix investigation and resolution

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's Degree in a relevant technical field such as computer science or equivalent years of practical work experience
6+ years of post-Bachelor’s software development experience; or Master’s degree in a technical field + 5+ years of post-grad software development experience; or PhD in a relevant technical field + 2+ years of post-grad software development experience
Experience with backend services or distributed systems
Experience in large-scale microservices and distributed systems, cloud computing and storage systems, infrastructure and large-scale system design, security, networking and data storage, or machine learning and natural language processing
Proven track record of operating highly-available systems at significant scale
Experience with Java, C++, and/or Python
Experience with NoSQL solutions, Memcache/Redis, Kubernetes, or Google/AWS services
Ability to independently execute medium-sized features over a few weeks and multiple PRs
Understanding of operational aspects of systems and participation in incident or hotfix investigation and resolution
Ability to collaborate and work well with others
Proficiency in or strong aptitude for leveraging AI tools and auditing generated output for architectural integrity, performance bottlenecks, and security risks
Adaptability in learning and applying evolving AI systems and tools
Experience with distributed systems

Benefits

Comp & perks

Paid parental leave
Comprehensive medical coverage
Emotional and mental health support programs
Compensation packages including equity in the form of RSUs
Default Together policy with expected in-office work 4+ days per week