Backend Engineer - Enterprise

About the role

SpaceXAI builds artificial intelligence systems designed to interpret the universe and assist in the expansion of human knowledge. We are looking for an engineer to join our flat, hands-on organization where initiative and direct contributions drive our progress. The role grants you ownership of the core infrastructure that powers our enterprise AI agents, allowing you to solve the hardest problems in scalability and reliability. You will be responsible for translating ambiguous product requirements into robust backend systems that handle real-world data loads. Your work will directly influence how customers interact with complex AI workflows across distributed environments. You will partner closely with product and research teams to ensure the technical stack evolves in line with ambitious mission goals. This position demands a high level of ownership where your code will be foundational to the reliability of critical production services. You will be expected to act as a technical leader, driving best practices and architectural decisions that impact the entire platform.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and implement backend services using Rust or C++ to support high-throughput AI inference workloads.
• Design and maintain distributed systems that operate horizontally at scale across global data centers.
• Integrate third-party Large Language Model APIs and RAG pipelines to extend the capabilities of our agents.
• Develop and expose gRPC interfaces, ensuring efficient communication between microservices and clients.
• Implement observability patterns to monitor service health, latency, and error rates in real time.
• Collaborate with enterprise customers to gather requirements and refine features based on direct feedback.
• Optimize database interactions with PostgreSQL, Clickhouse, and CockroachDB for complex analytical queries.
• Containerize applications using Docker and orchestrate deployments with Kubernetes for consistent delivery.
• Map complex business logic to RESTful endpoints while maintaining strict performance SLAs.
• Guide the product lifecycle from initial design through deployment, ensuring reliability and scalability are prioritized.
• Mentor junior engineers by providing code reviews and technical guidance on backend best practices.
• Conduct performance testing and iterate on solutions to eliminate bottlenecks in data processing pipelines.
• Ensure all services are resilient, secure, and aligned with enterprise compliance standards.
• Contribute to the open source ecosystem where appropriate, balancing internal needs with external collaboration.

Requirements

• Demonstrate expert proficiency in Rust or C++ with a strong grasp of memory safety and concurrency patterns.
• Prove your ability to design and maintain horizontally scalable distributed systems that handle failure gracefully.
• Show deep understanding of service reliability, including observability, logging, tracing, and metrics instrumentation.
• Provide evidence of managing data effectively using PostgreSQL, Clickhouse, or CockroachDB in production scenarios.
• Exhibit experience with containerization technologies such as Docker and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes.
• Highlight expert knowledge of gRPC protocols, including unary, streaming, and mapping strategies to REST.
• Share examples of practical experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation patterns, embeddings, and LLM APIs.
• Present a track record of shipping software to users at scale, demonstrating impact on real user bases.
• Commit to working in a fast-paced environment where requirements can change rapidly based on scientific discovery.
• Align with SpaceXAI's mission of advancing human knowledge through AI, showing passion for long-term impact.
• Ability to communicate technical trade-offs clearly to both engineering and non-technical stakeholders.
• Dedication to writing clean, maintainable code that can be reviewed and extended by other engineers.
• Willingness to troubleshoot complex issues in production under tight deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Compliance with equal opportunity employment practices and adherence to corporate privacy standards.

Nice to have

• Demonstrate expert proficiency in Python and TypeScript for scripting and full-stack interactions.
• Provide experience with containerization using Docker and Kubernetes for managing microservices.
• Show expert knowledge of gRPC, including unary, streaming, and REST mapping techniques.
• Share practical experience with RAG patterns, embeddings, and integration of LLM APIs.
• Evidence of history shipping software to users at scale in highly available systems.

Practical notes

• SpaceXAI is an equal opportunity employer. Please review our recruitment privacy notice on our website for information regarding data handling.
• The role is based in Tokyo, Japan, requiring relocation or local candidacy for on-site engagement.
• Full-time commitment is expected, with availability during standard business hours for cross-regional collaboration.
• Candidates must adhere to application deadlines communicated through official SpaceXAI recruitment channels.
• Travel requirements are not specified, but flexibility may be needed for team meetings and project reviews.
• Visa sponsorship considerations will be addressed during the hiring process for eligible candidates.
• All interactions with the hiring team will follow the privacy and data handling policies outlined by SpaceXAI.