Senior Backend Engineer

What is Spade?

Spade is the next generation of fintech infrastructure. We’re building a financial data enrichment API purpose built to empower our customers to uncover the truth hidden within their transaction data. We use our vast, ground-truth merchant data set to decipher cryptic transactions, helping customers underwrite, detect fraud, build better banking infrastructure and get a unique understanding of their users’ spending habits.

We’re a fast growing, seed stage company backed by industry experts and top tier investors (including a16z, Y-Combinator, and Gradient Ventures). We process millions of transactions a month for customers including Unit, Coast, Solid, Yotta, and Ness.

We’re a small and mighty hybrid team, passionate about building exceptional products for our growing customer base. We care deeply about diversity of opinion, background, and experience. We value empathy, curiosity, and passion, and strive to create an environment where individuals have autonomy and the ability to take ownership over their work.

What will you be doing?

As a founding member of our engineering team you'll be able to make a meaningful impact, have a great deal of ownership, and will be presented with opportunities to work in a wide variety of areas. You will:

• Develop and maintain high-performance REST APIs
• Implement efficient search algorithms to improve API performance
• Iterate on existing infrastructure to optimize API latencies
• Maintain batch data pipelines running on Prefect and Databricks
• Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback to peers
• Champion best practices and contribute to continuous improvement of code quality

What experience, skills, and qualifications are necessary? 

• Must have: 

  • 5+ years of experience building and scaling backend systems
  • Extensive experience in Python, Django, and SQL
  • Proven knowledge of API best practices
  • Experience in Fintech or related industries and early stage startups
  • A desire to focus on customer needs and solve pressing problems

• Nice to have: 

  • Experience working with big data processing platforms such as DataBricks
  • Comfortable orchestrating batch data pipelines using tool such as Prefect
  • Familiarity with DevOps, cloud infrastructure and AWS Cloud Development Kit, and distributed systems

Why join Spade? 

• Be a cultural founder. As an early employee, you’ll play a meaningful role in defining and building our culture.
• Get in on the ground floor. We’re a small but well-funded team that just raised a substantial seed – joining now comes with limited risk and unlimited upside.
• Build the next generation of financial infrastructure. Our products will power the next wave of innovation in fintech, helping our customers deliver better, more transparent products and services to the consumer.
• Benefits include:
  • Competitive compensation and equity package
  • Full medical, dental, and vision benefits for US-based employees
  • Life & short-term disability insurance
  • Flexible PTO
  • Early exercise program
  • Extended post-termination exercise period
  • 401K for retirement planning
  • Hybrid team, with pet-friendly headquarters in NYC
  • Paid parental leave
  • Work from home stipend

Diversity & Inclusion at Spade:

Spade is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building a culture that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We believe that having people with different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives not only helps us build the best products for our customers, but also helps us be the best version of ourselves.

As part of our commitment to health and safety, Spade requires employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as permitted under applicable law.

Salary Range:

Depending on level, the salary range for this job is between $140,000 and $180,000, with 0.4%-0.6% equity.