Software Engineer, Backend

About the role

This role focuses on identity and membership management for agentic infrastructure delivered to enterprise customers. You will translate product ideas into robust backend systems that handle authentication, authorization, and user lifecycle at scale. The work involves close collaboration with cross-functional partners to define requirements and deliver reliable, secure solutions. You will own the design, implementation, and operation of services that underpin critical identity workflows. Clear communication is valued as highly as technical execution in this environment. Engineers balance building new features with maintaining and improving existing systems. Success is measured by the reliability and security of the services you operate.

What you'll do

Operational reliability is maintained through scheduled on-call rotations for high-scale services. You will participate in incident response and ensure system availability as part of a resilient backend platform.

Infrastructure is defined and provisioned with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and similar tools to support high-availability applications. You will codify infrastructure to enable repeatable, secure deployments across environments.

Enterprise software is built and maintained using TypeScript, REST APIs, and JSON payloads. You will develop backend services and APIs that integrate with identity platforms and enterprise workflows.

You will work with identity protocols such as SCIM, OAuth2, and OpenID Connect to manage access and lifecycle operations. Implementation will align with security architecture patterns, including LDAP, Active Directory, SAML, and web protocols like XML, SOAP, JSON, and REST.

You will apply access control models such as RBAC, ABAC, and ReBAC to design authorization systems that meet enterprise requirements. SQL experience is required to manage data stores and ensure efficient, reliable access at scale.

Practical Node.js application development skills are required to build performant, observable services. You will write tests, fix bugs, and improve performance as part of continuous maintenance and iteration.

Problem-solving abilities and communication skills support effective collaboration with diverse teams. You will explain technical decisions in plain language and participate in planning, code review, and debugging as part of regular engineering cycles.

Requirements

Proficiency in TypeScript, JavaScript, React, and Node.js is necessary for full-stack implementation and integration work.

Knowledge of security architecture, LDAP, Active Directory, SAML, SSO, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, and web protocols such as XML, SOAP, JSON, and REST is required.

Understanding of access control models such as RBAC, ABAC, and ReBAC is necessary to implement appropriate authorization strategies.

SQL experience is required to work with relational data stores and complex queries in backend services.

Practical Node.js application development skills are required to build scalable and maintainable services.

Problem-solving abilities and communication skills support effective collaboration with diverse teams across engineering and product functions.

A bachelor's degree is required as part of the baseline qualifications for this role.

Practical notes: Remote work is available within the United States, with location-specific details confirmed with recruiting. If your location falls outside the defined commuting distance, the role remains fully remote. Commuting-distance-based anchor days apply where office-based work is selected.

About the company

Vercel gives developers the tools and cloud infrastructure to build, scale, and secure a faster, more personalized web. As the team behind v0, Next.js, and AI SDK, Vercel helps customers like Ramp, Supreme, PayPal, and Under Armour build for the AI-native web.

Compensation

Compensation for this role ranges from $196,000 to $294,000.

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

Backend engineering roles emphasize scalable, secure systems in cloud environments. JavaScript and TypeScript form the core language stack for services and APIs. Infrastructure as Code practices automate deployment and reliability workflows. Identity protocols such as SCIM, OAuth2, and OpenID Connect manage access and lifecycle operations. Enterprise products serve millions of developers and large organizations globally.

Questions to ask

Useful questions for the interview: what a typical week looks like, how work is assigned, what tools the team uses, and how feedback works. Asking how the role has changed recently and what the team wishes it had known when joining is also reasonable. Questions about the manager's priorities are especially valued.

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.