Software Engineer, Discovery (Search) at whatnot

This role is ideal for a mid-to-senior backend engineer with at least 4 years of experience and a strong background in search or recommendation systems. You should be comfortable working with high-growth consumer data and possess a product-first mindset. While the team uses Python, Elixir, and JavaScript, they value polyglots who can adapt to new technologies quickly and have a track record of shipping features "lightning-fast." The compensation is highly competitive ($170k–$230k) and comes with a robust benefits package, including a 4% 401k match, 16 weeks of parental leave, and unique "dogfooding" allowances to use the platform. While the company is "remote co-located," you must live within commuting distance of their hubs in NYC, SF, Seattle, or LA for in-person collaboration. **You might be a good fit if you:** * Have practical experience with retrieval and ranking algorithms (Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, etc.). * Thrive in high-growth startup environments with high individual autonomy. * Prioritize user experience and product impact over "perfect" technical solutions. * Can demonstrate expertise in applied ML fields like discovery, experimentation, or anomaly detection.