Senior Backend Software Engineer

We’re looking for a Senior Backend Software Engineer to join our team.  As part of a lean team, you’ll have a high degree of autonomy, ownership and direct impact on customers, with the opportunity to help shape the architecture of Rive’s platform as we grow. We’re looking for someone who is passionate about the backend and brings lessons learned from scaling SaaS platforms used by thousands of active users.

You’ll work on

• Core APIs and services that drive the Rive editor, multiplayer collaboration, asset management, and the Rive Marketplace.
• File and asset storage systems, including object storage, CDN distribution and caching layers for fast, reliable access.
• Database architecture and optimization, designing schemas and queries that perform at scale and evolve with our product.
• Real-time infrastructure for live collaboration, syncing thousands of changes per second across sessions with low latency.
• Distributed background systems for rendering, asset conversion, and large-scale task orchestration.
• Customer-facing applications for authentication, accounts, billing, and team management.
• Observability and telemetry, building insight into how our systems behave and how customers use Rive.
• Security, compliance, and permissions models that protect our customers and meet enterprise-grade standards.
• Scalability and reliability engineering, ensuring Rive stays fast and stable as we grow.

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, specifically in backend and infrastructure.
• Proven track record of owning and delivering backend services for SaaS-based products that are widely relied upon by active users.
• Node.js experience, or strong experience in multiple programming languages and evidence of learning new ones quickly.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred), infrastructure as code, and container orchestration.
• Strong SQL skills, including hands-on experience with query analysis and optimization.
• Ability to work independently in ambiguous situations: seek out requirements, make sound decisions, and prioritize effectively.
• Excellent communication skills, with willingness to work directly with customers when needed.