Backend Engineer Jobs in California
Backend Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, with demand concentrated in enterprise software, fintech, cloud infrastructure, and consumer tech at every level from entry-level to staff and principal engineer. The largest hiring metros are San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where employers like Google, Salesforce, and Qualcomm maintain major engineering headquarters and continuously recruit across backend specialties. The most in-demand sub-areas are distributed systems, API design, and cloud-native development on AWS and GCP. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.
Our team sits within Developer Productivity, whose mission is to make software development at Affirm simpler and faster across the company. The broader org owns much of the path between a developer's laptop and production, including developer environments, CI/CD pipelines, test automation, dependency management, and release engineering, all in service of helping engineers ship code quickly, safely, and with confidence.
The Continuous Delivery team's charter is centered on enabling engineering teams to release independently through strong automation, standard patterns, predictable rollouts, resilient recovery mechanisms, and less manual toil. This role is uniquely positioned to help solve one of Affirm's most important engineering challenges: scaling developer productivity in an era where the software development lifecycle is increasingly AI-enhanced. The team builds and improves the platforms, workflows, and guardrails that help engineers move from idea to production faster, with better safety, consistency, and developer experience.
What You'll Do
- With the support of your team, you will work on tasks that contribute to the team's projects and goals.
- You will work collaboratively and proactively with your team and stakeholders, bringing them along for your work and helping to create visibility and dialog regarding the risks and trade-offs related to your work.
- You will strike the right balance of speed and quality in your work, ensuring that we hit our business goals while protecting our systems from downtime.
- You will contribute to a sense of community on your team by engaging in growth and development activities.
What We Look For
- You have previous work or internship experience designing, developing and launching backend systems at scale and are experienced using one of Python or Kotlin.
- You are familiar with the building blocks of distributed systems, and the technologies like AWS, MySQL and Kubernetes.
- You have mastered taking a simple problem or business scenario into a solution that interacts with multiple software components, and executing on it by writing clear, easily understood, well tested and extensible code.
- You are comfortable navigating a large code base, debugging others' code, and providing feedback to other engineers through code reviews.
- Your experience demonstrates that you take ownership of your growth, proactively seeking feedback from your team, your manager, and your stakeholders.
- You have strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with our global engineering team.
- This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
Base Pay Grade - J
Equity Grade - 5
Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)
USA base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT) per year: $130,000 - $180,000
USA base pay range (all other U.S. states) per year: $115,000 - $165,000
#LI-Remote
Remote-first with flexibility built in
Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.
Benefits designed for you
Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
- Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
- Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
- Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
- Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
We're committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we're happy to help.
For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.
By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice and consent to the use of your personal information as described.
At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.
Our team sits within Developer Productivity, whose mission is to make software development at Affirm simpler and faster across the company. The broader org owns much of the path between a developer's laptop and production, including developer environments, CI/CD pipelines, test automation, dependency management, and release engineering, all in service of helping engineers ship code quickly, safely, and with confidence.
The Continuous Delivery team's charter is centered on enabling engineering teams to release independently through strong automation, standard patterns, predictable rollouts, resilient recovery mechanisms, and less manual toil. This role is uniquely positioned to help solve one of Affirm's most important engineering challenges: scaling developer productivity in an era where the software development lifecycle is increasingly AI-enhanced. The team builds and improves the platforms, workflows, and guardrails that help engineers move from idea to production faster, with better safety, consistency, and developer experience.
What You'll Do
- With the support of your team, you will work on tasks that contribute to the team's projects and goals.
- You will work collaboratively and proactively with your team and stakeholders, bringing them along for your work and helping to create visibility and dialog regarding the risks and trade-offs related to your work.
- You will strike the right balance of speed and quality in your work, ensuring that we hit our business goals while protecting our systems from downtime.
- You will contribute to a sense of community on your team by engaging in growth and development activities.
What We Look For
- You have previous work or internship experience designing, developing and launching backend systems at scale and are experienced using one of Python or Kotlin.
- You are familiar with the building blocks of distributed systems, and the technologies like AWS, MySQL and Kubernetes.
- You have mastered taking a simple problem or business scenario into a solution that interacts with multiple software components, and executing on it by writing clear, easily understood, well tested and extensible code.
- You are comfortable navigating a large code base, debugging others' code, and providing feedback to other engineers through code reviews.
- Your experience demonstrates that you take ownership of your growth, proactively seeking feedback from your team, your manager, and your stakeholders.
- You have strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with our global engineering team.
- This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
Base Pay Grade - J
Equity Grade - 5
Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)
USA base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT) per year: $130,000 - $180,000
USA base pay range (all other U.S. states) per year: $115,000 - $165,000
#LI-Remote
Remote-first with flexibility built in
Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.
Benefits designed for you
Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
- Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
- Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
- Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
- Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
We're committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we're happy to help.
For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.
By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice and consent to the use of your personal information as described.
See All 403+ Backend Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Backend Engineer JobsBackend Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Backend Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- TikTok29
- Rippling20
- ALTRUIST16
- Apple12
- Affirm10
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software73
- Banking & Financial Services9
- Investment & Asset Management7
- Consulting & Professional Services7
- Fintech5
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in backend engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical field
- Proficiency in one or more backend languages such as Python, Java, Go, or Node.js
- Experience designing and maintaining RESTful or GraphQL APIs at production scale
- Familiarity with cloud platforms, particularly AWS or Google Cloud, and containerization tools
- Demonstrated experience with relational and NoSQL databases including PostgreSQL and MongoDB
- Ability to collaborate within cross-functional engineering teams using agile development practices
Backend Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a backend engineer in California?
Backend engineering has no state-issued license in California, so the path runs through education and demonstrated technical skill. Most California employers expect a bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related discipline, or equivalent experience verified through a portfolio and technical interviews. Completing coursework at a UC or CSU campus, or a recognized coding bootcamp, is a common entry path. Building open-source projects and contributing to public repositories strengthens any application significantly.
How much do backend engineers make in California?
Backend engineers in California earn a median of about $174,410 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $105,060 for the lowest 10% to over $272,670 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire backend engineers in California?
Employers hiring backend engineers in California right now include TikTok, Rippling, and ALTRUIST, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. California's concentration of enterprise software, semiconductor, and consumer internet companies means backend engineering roles appear across a wide range of industries and company sizes, from large tech headquarters to well-funded Series B startups.
Which California cities have the most backend engineer jobs?
San Francisco, San Jose, and Sunnyvale have the most backend engineer openings in California. San Francisco and the broader Bay Area lead because of the density of enterprise software and cloud infrastructure companies headquartered there, while Los Angeles has grown significantly as a hub for media tech and fintech employers, and San Diego draws from its established base of defense technology and biotech software firms.
Are there remote backend engineer jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 65% of backend engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how naturally backend work adapts to distributed teams. Roles focused on API development, microservices, and cloud infrastructure tend to be the most consistently offered as fully remote, while positions requiring close collaboration with on-site hardware or embedded systems teams skew toward hybrid arrangements.
How can I get hired as a backend engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is an associate or junior engineer role, which large California employers like Salesforce, Oracle, and smaller Bay Area and Los Angeles startups post regularly for new graduates and career changers. Internship pipelines at UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD feed directly into entry-level offers. Building a portfolio of personal projects on GitHub, earning a cloud certification such as AWS Certified Developer, and contributing to open-source projects gives candidates a measurable edge over those with only coursework.
Where can I find and apply to backend engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to backend engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and experience levels. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to the employers posting them.
See All 403+ Backend Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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