Backend Engineer Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Backend Engineer jobs in San Francisco concentrate in SoMa, Mission Bay, and the Financial District, with the city's dense cluster of fintech, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise SaaS companies driving steady demand for server-side and API specialists. Employers hiring right now include Rippling, Affirm, and ALTRUIST. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Showing 5 of 178+ Backend Engineer jobs
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.
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Find Backend Engineer JobsBackend Engineer Job Market in San Francisco
Who's Hiring
- Rippling20
- Affirm10
- ALTRUIST9
- EvenUp7
- Uber4
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software39
- Banking & Financial Services6
- Law & Legal Services3
- Healthcare & Medical Services3
- Investment & Asset Management3
Backend Engineer Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a backend engineer job in San Francisco?
Focus your search on San Francisco's fintech, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise SaaS sectors, which post the highest volume of backend roles locally. Companies in SoMa and Mission Bay tend to prioritize distributed systems experience, proficiency in Go, Python, or Java, and familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS or GCP. Candidates who can demonstrate shipped production systems and contributions to open-source projects stand out in this market.
Which companies hire backend engineers in San Francisco?
Companies currently hiring backend engineers in San Francisco include Rippling, Affirm, and ALTRUIST, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's employer mix ranges from early-stage startups in SoMa and the Mission to large public technology and financial services firms headquartered downtown.
Are there remote backend engineer jobs in San Francisco?
Yes, backend engineering is one of the more remote-compatible disciplines because the work centers on code, APIs, and cloud systems rather than physical presence. About 71% of backend engineer openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the city's long-standing remote culture among technology employers. Infrastructure and platform-focused roles tend to offer the most location flexibility.
How can I get a backend engineer job in San Francisco with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is targeting junior or associate backend roles at San Francisco startups in SoMa and Mission Bay, which hire more aggressively at the entry level than established enterprise firms downtown. Bootcamp graduates and new computer science graduates gain traction by applying to companies with structured engineering rotations or apprenticeship programs. A portfolio of personal or open-source projects demonstrating REST API design or database work gives early-career candidates a concrete advantage in local interviews.
Which industries hire the most backend engineers in San Francisco?
San Francisco backend engineer roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Banking & Financial Services, and Law & Legal Services, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's position as a global hub for financial technology, cloud services, and consumer software platforms means these sectors generate sustained backend hiring regardless of broader market cycles.
Related Jobs in California
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