Staff Backend Engineer

About Appsmith

Appsmith is a leading open-source low-code platform that enables developers to build internal tools quickly and efficiently. We are on a mission to help developers create better software faster, and we are looking for passionate and talented individuals to join our team. We believe in accelerating software development by providing developers with a high-quality platform that abstracts away boilerplate code and features while still giving them complete code control over the business logic of their applications. Internal tools are an integral yet neglected part of every organization and we’re using our approach to build a world where developers can quickly create & deploy internal tools with the same quality as the best SAAS products out there.

Since its inception, Appsmith has gained significant traction, with over 10 million downloads, more than 30,000 stars on GitHub, and adoption by 10,000+ organizations across 150 countries. We’ve raised over $51.5mn in funding.

Role Overview

Appsmith is an open-source, low-code platform that helps developers build applications quickly, usually within hours. Since its inception, Appsmith has gained significant traction, with over 10 million downloads, more than 30,000 stars on GitHub, and adoption by 10,000+ organisations across 150 countries.

Our team is responsible for introducing packages in Appsmith, enabling developers to seamlessly create reusable pieces that aid in building applications faster, just like in the real world. Developers can create things like queries, JS objects or even composite UI components and reuse them anywhere in their workspace while being able to handle new changes like a boss. In this role, you will help build and evolve this product within Appsmith. You will be accountable for designing and implementing a scalable, maintainable backend system, ensuring well-defined boundaries and interfaces that meet the needs of our users. This includes working with a large codebase, refactoring regularly for performance, readability, and modularity, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify, measure, and proactively address potential system impacts.

Key Responsibilities

You will join an agile and fully remote team as a senior backend developer. To us, this means your role extends beyond ownership of your day-to-day work; we expect you to embrace the broader picture — product vision, system architecture, and team collaboration.

• Own execution of backend requirements with accountability and autonomy.

• Architect and implement features, ensure sufficient documentation and test coverage, manage your time effectively, proactively communicate progress and decisions, and identify and own opportunities to improve code quality in areas such as readability, performance, and modularity.

• Collaborate closely with a designer, prototype a lot and contribute your design solutions.

• Navigate a research-heavy project with an emphasis on scalability and versatility: we should be able to iterate and course-correct frequently without losing on quality. There are always trade-offs, and you will make and own them.

• Guide and uplift the team's skills and performance.

Qualifications

Must Have

1. 8+ years of experience building backend systems with high extensibility and modularity

2. Experience in designing and architecting subsystems that integrate seamlessly with the core architecture, ensuring well-defined boundaries and interfaces for scalability and maintainability.

3. Experience working on complex and large codebases.

4. Experience working on problems that affect multiple parts of a product.

Good to Have

1. Experience with self-hosted products.

2. Experience working with users

3. Experience in measuring subsystem performance and improving it through analysis and optimization techniques.

Interview Process

• Hiring manager: You will have a 60-minute introductory call with your hiring manager. We will be looking to understand whether you have the relevant experience. Be thoughtful about how you communicate the projects you have worked on and the challenges you have overcome. We are also looking to understand how you relate to the product and whether you connect with the problem statement. Please try building an app on the product before this call. Prepare some feedback on your experience with the product and your thoughts about it.

• Problem Solving: You will have a 60-minute call with a member of this team who will ask you to solve a problem statement and translate it into code. We are looking to understand your approach to solving fuzzy problems and the quality of code you produce when solving them. Be methodical in your approach, understand the problem well, optimise the solution, handle edge cases & write simple, readable code.

• System Design: You will have a 90-minute call with a senior backend engineer who will ask you to design an end-to-end system. We are looking to see how you think about architecting a system and whether you make considerations for load, failure & extensibility. Good system design should be able to adapt easily without knowing future requirements and should have great detail and thought put into it. We are also looking for your domain understanding of backend systems and how much in-depth knowledge you have of them.

• Team Round: This round, led by a designer and/or a product manager, will focus on collaboration and communication. Expect questions about how you worked with a team to solve a challenging problem through teamwork and communication.

• Culture Fit: You will have a 60-minute call with a founder who will try to better understand you as a person and whether you would thrive inside the culture at Appsmith. We are looking for candidates who deeply care about their work, take ownership & are always trying to get better.

Why Join Appsmith?:

• Mission: Be part of a mission-driven company that solves problems that you can relate to. We are on a mission to help developers quickly build & deploy high-quality internal apps.

• Team: We believe in hiring experts for every domain to create a culture of collaboration, innovation, creativity & diversity. Be part of a time that inspires you every day.

• Impact: Play a key role in shaping the future of our platform and delivering features that directly impact our customers' success.

• Flexibility: We believe in unlocking productivity by giving individuals freedom. Work remotely from the EU or India with flexible hours to suit your work style.

If you are passionate about building powerful, user-friendly tools for developers and are an expert in your domain, we would love to hear from you.

Benefits

• Productivity: Work from anywhere with a budget to set up your home office.

• Flexibility: Work how you are most productive with flexible holiday schedules & work timings.

• Growth: Keep growing with a budget for books, courses & conferences.