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Backend Software Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

David AI

Backend Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$165K - $225K/yr

About this role As a Backend Engineer at David AI, you'll build the systems and infrastructure that power how our users process and make sense of the audio data they'll use to train their models ...

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Senior Backend Software Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

The Senior Backend Software Engineer will own features throughout their life cycle, improve existing services, and work in a cross-functional team to make impactful contributions to the product.

Lumafield

Backend Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$125K - $140K/yr

... backend setting using major web frameworks (Flask, Django, FastAPI, etc.) * Experience with large dataset processing using numpy * Strong software engineering fundamentals including git, unit testing ...

Philz Coffee

Backend Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$145K - $155K/yr

At Philz, we're all about Bettering Days; and as a Backend Software Engineer , you'll play a key role in making that happen as part of a collaborative engineering team focused on building thoughtful ...

Winaxis

Software Engineer (Back End)

Fremont, CA · On-site

Software Engineer (Back End) Location: Fremont, CA Duration: 12+ Mos Summary: Our direct client is searching for a Back End Software Engineers with experience in backend development, who will be ...

Vast

Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Long Beach, CA · On-site

They are seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Backend to support the development of systems required for the design and build of artificial-gravity human-rated space stations by designing and ...

Hired Recruiters

Backend Engineer

Redwood City, CA · On-site +1

As a backend software engineer at the company you'll contribute to design and development of various infrastructure projects including data collection pipelines, backends to support sensor ...

Ketch

Backend Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$100K - $130K/yr

Our patented technology empowers businesses and software engineers with a deploy-once, comply-and ... What you will be doing at Ketch We are looking for a highly skilled backend engineer who is ...

SPAN

Senior Backend Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$155K - $180K/yr

Designing a flexible and distributed electrical grid The Role We are seeking a Senior Backend Software Engineer to join our team building the cloud-based glue that gives our users access to the rich ...

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Showing results 41-60

All JobsBackend Software Engineer JobsBackend Software Engineer Jobs in California

Backend Software Engineer information

See California salary details

$59.7K

$145.7K

$196.4K

How much do backend software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for backend software engineer in California is $145,728.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $122,400.00 and $169,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a backend software engineer?

To thrive as a Backend Software Engineer, you need strong programming skills in languages like Java, Python, or Node.js, a solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, and experience with database management, usually supported by a degree in computer science or related fields. Familiarity with tools such as Git, RESTful APIs, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), and frameworks like Spring or Django is highly valued, and relevant certifications can be advantageous. Problem-solving ability, attention to detail, and effective teamwork are standout soft skills for this position. These skills and qualities are essential to build, maintain, and optimize robust, scalable server-side applications that meet user and business needs.

What are some typical challenges a backend software engineer faces when integrating new services into an existing system?

Backend Software Engineers often encounter challenges such as ensuring compatibility between new services and legacy systems, maintaining data integrity during migrations, and managing increased system complexity. Effective integration also requires thorough testing to prevent disruptions to existing functionalities and close collaboration with frontend engineers, DevOps, and QA teams. Proactively communicating across teams and adhering to clear documentation standards can help mitigate integration risks and ensure a smoother deployment process.

What is the difference between Backend Software Engineer vs Frontend Software Engineer?

AspectBackend Software EngineerFrontend Software Engineer
Primary FocusServer-side development, databases, APIsClient-side development, UI/UX, visual elements
Required SkillsProgramming languages like Java, Python, SQL; server managementHTML, CSS, JavaScript, frameworks like React or Angular
Work EnvironmentBackend teams, server infrastructure, cloud servicesDesign teams, user interface, web browsers
Common UsageBuilding and maintaining server logic and databasesCreating interactive and visually appealing web pages

While both roles involve web development, Backend Software Engineers focus on server-side logic and data management, whereas Frontend Software Engineers specialize in creating the visual and interactive aspects of websites. Both roles are essential in full-stack development and often collaborate closely.

What are the most commonly searched types of Backend Software Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Backend Software Engineer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Backend Software Engineer jobs in California?

For Backend Software Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Backend Software Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Backend Software Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Backend Software Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Backend Software Engineer job openings:

Backend Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Backend Software Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 85% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $145,728 per year, or $70.1 per hour.

Backend Software Engineer

David AI

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$165K - $225K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 3 days ago

New

Job description

About David AI
David AI is the first audio data research company. We bring an R&D approach to data-developing datasets with the same rigor AI labs bring to models. Our mission is to bring AI into the real world, and we believe audio is the gateway. Speech is versatile, accessible, and human-it fits naturally into everyday life. As audio AI advances and new use cases emerge, high-quality training data is the bottleneck. This is where David AI comes in.
David AI was founded in 2024 by a team of former Scale AI engineers and operators. In less than a year, we've brought on most FAANG companies and AI labs as customers. We recently raised a $50M Series B from Meritech, NVIDIA, Jack Altman (Alt Capital), Amplify Partners, First Round Capital and other Tier 1 investors.
Our team is sharp, humble, ambitious, and tight-knit. We're looking for the best research, engineering, product, and operations minds to join us on our mission to push the frontier of audio AI.
About our Engineering team
At David AI, our engineers build the pipelines, platforms, and models that transform raw audio into high-signal data for leading AI labs and enterprises. We're a tight-knit team of product engineers, infrastructure specialists, and machine learning experts focused on building the world's first audio data research company.
We move fast, own our work end-to-end, and ship to production daily. Our team designs real-time pipelines handling terabytes of speech data and deploys cutting-edge generative audio models.
About this role
As a Backend Engineer at David AI, you'll build the systems and infrastructure that power how our users process and make sense of the audio data they'll use to train their models, working closely with researchers to consistently iterate on how to best collect our data.
In this role, you will
  • Design and build scalable backend systems and core data processing pipelines that derive actionable insights from terabytes of audio data every day.
  • Architect and maintain the APIs and services that power features thousands of users interact with daily.
  • Build, deploy, and evaluate LLM and DSP based solutions to increase our customers' understanding of nuanced features across our datasets.
  • Iterate rapidly on our research hypotheses by working closely with researchers and our Operations team to deploy backend infrastructure that supports new data collection.
  • Stay up-to-date with cutting edge technologies and frameworks to apply to our current product offering across backend engineering, data engineering, machine learning, and signal processing.

Your background looks like
  • 2+ years of backend engineering experience.
  • Strong backend fundamentals with experience designing scalable systems, APIs, and data pipelines that handle significant scale and volume.
  • A proven track record of delivering engineering solutions that contributed value to customers.
  • Experience working in a high-pace environment where constant progress was enabled by detail-oriented execution.
  • Emphasis on building robust, reliable infrastructure that supports highly polished, production-grade products.
  • AI/ML or audio experience is not required but you should be excited to learn.

Bonus points if you have
  • Educational or professional experience with digital signal processing and a deep understanding of speech.
  • Experience building and deploying ML models in a production environment.
  • Led (managed or tech-led) engineering teams in high-growth environments.

Some technologies we work with
  • Node.js, tRPC, PostgreSQL, AWS, Trigger.dev, WebRTC, FFmpeg, TypeScript.

Benefits
  • Unlimited PTO.
  • Top-notch health, dental, and vision coverage with 100% coverage for most plans.
  • FSA & HSA access.
  • 401k access.
  • Meals 2x daily through DoorDash + snacks and beverages available at the office.
  • Unlimited company-sponsored Barry's classes.

Apply