Senior Software Engineer

## **About Engineering at Fonoa** Engineering is central to how we build the business. We focus on solving **real customer problems**, not just shipping features. We work in **small, high-trust teams**, with full ownership across the lifecycle, from design to production and beyond. We value: - **Ownership** – engineers own what they build end-to-end - **Simplicity** – we break down complex problems into clear solutions - **Thinking Big** - we innovate with modern technologies (LLMs, AI Agents, etc.) to solve meaningful problems - **Quality** – scalable, maintainable systems are non-negotiable - **Speed & iteration** – we ship fast, learn, and improve continuously - **Collaboration** – we win as a team, not as individuals ## **Position Overview** As a **Staff Engineer**, your role is to **improve the system as a whole, both technically and organizationally**. You will work on **ambiguous, high-impact problems**, shape technical direction across teams, and help others build better systems. Your impact comes less from the code you write, and more from **how you influence decisions, design, and execution at scale**. ## **What You Will Do** - Take ownership of **complex, cross-team problems** that are not clearly defined - Define technical direction and drive **system design across domains** - Identify and address **systemic issues and opportunities early** - Simplify complexity through better architecture, patterns, and structure - Improve how teams build by raising standards, tooling, and practices - Mentor engineers and contribute to **hiring and team growth** - Ensure systems are **reliable, scalable, and built for long-term evolution** ## **What Good Looks Like** - You focus on **high-leverage problems** and shape how they are approached - You create clarity in ambiguous situations and align teams around it - You improve not just code, but **how teams design and build systems** - You make others more effective through guidance, feedback, and direction - You operate with **long-term thinking**, balancing today’s needs with future scale - You adopt emerging AI technologies and create a culture of innovation in your teams At this level, you are expected to **“make the whole system, and the people in it, better.”** ## **What We’re Looking For** - Strong experience designing and operating **scalable backend systems** - Proven ability to work on **ambiguous, high-impact problems** - Track record of influencing technical decisions beyond your team - Ability to balance **speed, quality, and long-term maintainability** - Experience mentoring engineers and improving team practices - Fostering a culture of curiosity and experimentation ## **API Documentation** For engineers, API design and structure are an important part of evaluating a role. You can explore our API and how we build products here: ## **Tech Stack** We use these technologies today, but we don’t hire for specific tools. We care about engineers who can **understand problems, make good technical decisions, and choose the right tools for the job**. - Backend: Node.js, Go - Frontend: React, TypeScript - Infrastructure: GCP, k8s, Terraform, Postgres Note: If you don’t think you have the full experience we’re looking for, but you could be a fit and are willing to learn, do apply anyway! We are building a diverse and inclusive team. *As part of the recruitment process at Fonoa, we process your personal data in accordance with our* [*Privacy Notice for Job Applicants*](https://www.fonoa.com/legal/privacy-notice-job-applicants)*. This notice explains how and why your data is collected and used, and how you can contact us if you have any concerns.*