Backend Engineer
About Slate
Slate is the workspace for modern product teams. We bring planning, documentation, and delivery into one calm place, with an intelligence layer called Atlas that understands the full state of your work and surfaces what matters before you ask. Teams use Slate to think, write, and ship together without the work scattering across a dozen tools.
About the Role
We're looking for a Backend Engineer to build the systems that hold Slate together. This is a role for someone who enjoys the hard parts of backend work, the data models, the APIs, the real time sync, and the infrastructure that has to stay fast and correct while a lot is happening at once. Much of what makes Slate feel calm on the surface depends on careful engineering underneath, and that's the work you'd own.
You'll work closely with the rest of engineering, plus product and design, in an async, globally distributed team. We trust you to take a problem, choose the right approach, and see it through to production.
What you'll be responsible for
Design and build the APIs, data models, and services that power the Slate workspace, Atlas, automations, and integrations.
Own the systems behind real time collaboration and the event pipeline that keeps everything in sync across clients.
Keep the backend fast, reliable, and observable as usage grows, with an active voice in the infrastructure and tooling we adopt.
Build and maintain the public API and webhooks that teams rely on to extend Slate.
Take features from early design through to deployment, including the monitoring and on call that comes with owning a system.
Raise the quality bar across the backend, paying down complexity and keeping the codebase healthy.
You might be a good fit if you
Have several years of experience building backend systems in production, with a track record of shipping reliable services at scale.
Are comfortable with data modeling, API design, and the trade offs involved in real time or event driven systems.
Care about correctness and observability as much as speed, and you know how to debug a system under real load.
Have worked on collaborative, high throughput, or data heavy products, or are excited to go deep on the problems they involve.
Use AI tools in your daily work to prototype, explore, and ship faster.
Are happy working async and independently in a distributed team, and you write clearly enough to keep others in sync.
Move fast without sacrificing craft, and you know when good enough is good enough.
What we offer
Fully Remote: We hire globally and believe you can do your best work from anywhere. There are no Slate offices, but we provide a co-working allowance you can use wherever you are in the world.
Equity: Every team member receives equity in Slate. We want everyone to share in the upside of what we're building together.
Tech Allowance: A budget to set up your ideal work environment, whether that's a new laptop, a monitor, or whatever helps you do your best work.
Health Benefits: We cover 100% of health insurance for employees and 80% for dependents, wherever you are. Your wellbeing and your family's health matter to us.
Annual Off-Sites: Once a year the whole company gathers in a new city for a week of connection, collaboration, and time together away from the screen.
Flexible Work: We operate asynchronously and trust you to manage your own time. You know what needs to be done and when.
Professional Development: An annual education allowance to spend on learning, whether that's courses, books, or conferences that support your growth.
About the Team
Slate is remote first and built by a small team that cares deeply about craft. We move fast, we build in public, and we use what we ship every day.
40+ team members
20+ countries
A product used by fast moving teams around the world
We believe a globally distributed team is a strength, not a constraint. We keep the group small, the bar high, and the work calm.
Hiring process
We keep things simple, async friendly, and respectful of your time.
Apply: Our team reviews your application.
Intro Call: A short video chat to get to know each other.
Interviews: Up to four conversations with team leads, future teammates, someone cross functional from product or design, and someone from our founding team.
Decision: We may follow up with a final question, or go straight to an offer.
All communication is remote, and we aim to move quickly.
