Staff Full Stack Software Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Full Stack Software Engineer to join our dynamic team. This role will involve deep engagement with our backend microservices, typescript front ends, and c++ edge processing applications. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in software engineering, with specific expertise in distributed systems, relational database design, reactive frontend programming, and a keen eye for design. This role will report directly to the VP of Software Engineering.

What You'll Do

Technical Leadership & Vision

• Own multi-quarter technical roadmaps for platform systems, translating company goals into durable architectural decisions.
• Define and evangelize engineering standards, patterns, and best practices across teams - writing the documents other engineers reference.
• Drive architectural decisions for distributed systems and ensure long-term technical scalability across the stack.
• Identify and resolve systemic technical risks before they become production incidents.

Organizational Impact

• Lead multi-team technical design processes - writing RFCs, facilitating alignment, and driving decisions to closure.
• Actively develop senior and mid-level engineers through design reviews, pairing, and structured feedback.
• Translate complex technical tradeoffs into business impact for non-technical stakeholders including executives and customers.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to define and deliver solutions for our customers.
• Contribute to hiring by interviewing candidates and helping define what "great" looks like at Observable Space.

Execution & Engineering Excellence

• Design, build, and maintain Kotlin backend microservices, C++ edge applications, and reactive frontends.
• Design and optimize relational database schemas, ETL pipelines, and data warehousing solutions.
• Debug and resolve complex production issues across the full software stack (backend, frontend, and edge).
• Ensure high reliability and performance in production systems, and establish the observability practices that make this possible.

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years of experience in a relevant software engineering role, with at least 2-3 years in a Staff, Principal, or technical lead capacity.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction beyond your immediate team - through documents, standards, or organizational initiatives.
• Track record of improving engineering quality, velocity, or culture at an organizational level.
• Strong programming skills in Java, Kotlin, C++, or C# (we love our statically typed object oriented languages!).
• Excellent data modeling skills - extensive experience working with RDBMSs, ETL processes, and data warehousing.
• Experience in a test-driven development environment.
• Acute product sense, placing an emphasis on user experience and outcomes over outputs.
• An iterative mindset - perfect is the enemy of good, and you know when to pay down technical debt vs. when to ship.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and lead others through it in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with foreign function interfaces to call rust and C++ from the JVM
• Experience with Kotlin for backend programming and have an allergy to monolithic frameworks and ORMs
• Experience with TypeScript and React to create complex user interfaces
• A love of astronomy, physics, and science

What We Offer

• Competitive Compensation - A salary package aligned with industry standards and your experience.
• Equity Opportunities - Take part in our success with stock options.

• Flexible Work Environment - Enjoy working from our office or in a hybrid work setup with the flexibility to work remotely part of the week.
• We require a minimum of 3 days per week in our office to support collaboration and team culture.
• (LA Office only)

• Unlimited PTO (exempt only) - Take the time you need with our flexible, trust-based vacation policy, including paid holidays. We encourage everyone to rest, recharge, and take care of themselves.
• Health & Wellness - Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with 100% of the premium paid by the employer for employees.
• Cutting-Edge Tools - Get access to the latest hardware and software you need to do your best work.
• Mission-Driven Culture - Be part of a team working on meaningful challenges with real-world impact.
• Inclusive Team - We foster a supportive and diverse workplace where all voices are valued.