Software Engineer - Backend/Distributed Systems

Emerald AI is at the forefront of addressing the AI power bottleneck by enabling data centers to scale sustainably. The role of Distributed Systems / Backend Engineer involves driving architectural decisions and building foundational infrastructure for the core backend platform, with a focus on reliability and performance.

What you'll do:

• Designing and scaling systems that interact with real-world energy infrastructure
• Building high-performance services and APIs that power core product workflows
• Tackling hard problems in reliability, data modeling, and system design
• Shipping end-to-end features—from idea to production
• Improving system observability, performance, and fault tolerance
• Partnering closely with product to turn ambiguous problems into shipped solutions
• Drive architecture and technical direction
• Lead ambiguous, high-impact initiatives
• Mentor and elevate other engineers

What they're looking for:

• Experience with distributed systems or data-intensive applications
• Experience building and operating backend or infrastructure systems with a focus on reliability, performance, and scalability
• Interest in grid systems, energy orchestration, and applying AI to real-world infrastructure
• Experience working on real-time or near real-time systems
• Comfort operating in ambiguous environments and turning open-ended problems into production systems
• Strong system design skills, including tradeoffs across latency, consistency, and scalability
• Ability to work across the stack when needed to unblock progress

Benefits:

• Competitive pay + equity. Stock options let you share in the value you help create.
• Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) matching.
• Flexible location. Work from D.C., Boston, or the Bay Area, with 1 WFH day/week.