Helix AI Engineer, Backend

About the role

Figure builds a general purpose humanoid for commercial and home use. The position coordinates identity, billing, media pipelines, cloud platforms, and internal tools for a small infrastructure team in San Jose.

Software engineers turn product ideas into working code. Engineers work in small teams, review each other's work, and ship in small batches. Most teams follow agile practices such as sprints and daily standups. Engineers also write tests, fix bugs, and improve performance. The field values clear communication as much as technical skill. Engineers spend part of every week on planning, code review, and debugging, not just writing new code. The ability to explain a technical decision in plain words separates strong engineers from the rest.

Key facts

What you'll do

Identity and access management services control secure user and partner access. Payment and billing infrastructure processes payouts, transactions, disputes, and reconciliation for money movement flows. Owned media ingestion and delivery pipelines handle high-volume robot telemetry, video, and sensor data. Push, SMS, and email notifications keep users informed about robot and system status.

Requirements

The posting states a pay range of $200000 to $400000.

Production backend systems at scale require low latency, high availability, and error handling. Distributed systems fundamentals apply across APIs, queues, storage, and event-driven architectures daily. Payments, billing, or fintech infrastructure experience guides decisions on money movement, reconciliation, and fraud awareness. AWS or GCP infrastructure is managed using Terraform or similar tools, with containers and CI/CD pipelines codified and monitored. Proficiency in Go, Python, or similar languages enables implementation of services and integrations. Systems that move real money are shipped with reliability standards that protect users, data, and operations.

Nice to have

Understanding of marketplace or gig platforms such as Uber, TaskRabbit, or DoorDash is valued for supply and demand patterns. Fintech background from companies such as Square, Stripe, or DailyPay informs regulated money flows. Media storage and processing pipelines at scale handle robot sensor and video workloads efficiently. Experience as the first or only infrastructure owner on a small team drives ownership and pragmatic delivery.

Practical notes

US work authorization is required. The role follows an in-office model with five days per week onsite in San Jose. Travel may be required for team or company activities as defined by Figure policies. Typical interview steps

Hiring for engineering roles usually starts with a recruiter screen, followed by one or two technical rounds. Candidates often solve a coding problem, discuss past projects, and answer system design questions. Some loops include a take-home task. Final rounds typically cover team fit and give candidates a chance to ask questions. Interviewers look for how you break down an unfamiliar problem, not just whether you reach the answer. Practicing a few problems aloud and reviewing your own past projects are the best preparation.

Good to know

Humanoid robotics systems rely on reliable backend services for real world tasks. Common backend patterns include distributed transactions, idempotency, and event driven architectures. Cloud infrastructure as code and observability are central to operating reliable services. Handling money movements requires strict reliability and security practices.

Career growth

Engineering careers usually progress from individual contributor to senior, staff, and principal levels. Some engineers move into management and lead teams of five to twenty people. Others stay on the technical track. Growth follows demonstrated impact, not tenure alone. A typical engineering ladder has clear levels with defined expectations for scope, quality, and mentorship. Moving up usually requires owning outcomes end to end rather than completing assigned tickets.