Senior Software Engineer, Product Foundations

Patreon is a media and community platform where over 300,000 creators give their biggest fans access to exclusive work and experiences. We offer creators a variety of ways to engage with their fans and build a lasting business including: paid memberships, free memberships, community chats, live video, and selling to fans directly with one-time purchases. Ultimately our goal is simple: fund the creative class. And we're leaders in that space, with: - $10 billion+ generated by creators since Patreon's inception - 100 million+ free memberships for fans who may not be ready to pay just yet, and - 25 million+ paid memberships on Patreon today. We're continuing to invest heavily in building the best creator platform with the best team in the creator economy and are looking for a Senior Software Engineer, Product Foundations to support our mission. This role is based in San Francisco or in New York and open to those who are able to be in-office 2 days per week on a hybrid work model. ABOUT THE TEAM The Product Foundations team is how great ideas at Patreon become great products. We build the shared backend services, APIs, and data abstractions that product engineers across the company rely on to ship fast and build with confidence - from brand new features to the core systems that creators and members depend on every day. When a product team needs to move quickly, we're the foundation that lets them do it without reinventing the wheel. We partner with backend, infrastructure, and product engineering teams to design systems that are modular, scalable, and built to last. ABOUT THE ROLE As a Senior Backend Software Engineer at Patreon, you will be responsible for designing and implementing scalable, high-performance backend systems that power our platform. You will collaborate with other engineers and product managers to build and maintain reliable and efficient systems that support Patreon's growth. Your responsibilities will include: - Designing and implementing backend systems that handle millions of requests per day - Writing efficient, scalable, and maintainable code - Identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks - Building our robust APIs that support our web and mobile applications - Collaborating with other backend engineers, product engineers, product managers, and designers to deliver high-quality features on time WHAT YOU'LL NEED - 5+ years of experience in backend software engineering, or equivalent experience through open source contributions, contract work, or adjacent engineering roles - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience; we evaluate skills and demonstrated ability, not credentials alone - Strong experience with Python or a similar language - Strong understanding of software design patterns and principles - Strong understanding of RESTful API design and development - Familiarity with relational databases (such as MySQL) and NoSQL databases - Ability to communicate technical decisions clearly in writing and in cross-functional meetings with non-engineering stakeholders We hire talented and passionate people from different backgrounds because workplace diversity and inclusion is critical to our ability to serve creators worldwide. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t match with every bullet point outlined above, we strongly encourage you to apply anyway. If you’re a creator at heart, are energized by our mission, and share our company values, we’d love to hear from you. About Patreon Patreon powers creators to do what they love and get paid by the people who love what they do. Our team is passionate about making this mission and our core values come to life every day in our work. Through this work, our Patronauts: - Put Creators First | They’re the reason we’re here. When creators win, we win. - Build with Craft | We sign our name to every deliverable, just like the creators we serve. - Make it Happen | We