Staff Software Engineer at whatnot

This role is designed for a heavyweight technical leader with at least 8 years of experience, specifically those who have navigated the "hypergrowth" phase of a major tech company. You should be a "T-shaped" engineer—deeply expert in distributed systems and backend architecture (Python/Elixir) but comfortable enough across the full stack to unblock any part of the product. This isn't a management role; it’s for someone who wants to remain hands-on while setting the architectural vision for millions of users. The compensation is highly competitive ($245k – $290k base), but the real draw is the scale of the engineering challenges. You’ll be tackling real-time auctions and high-throughput payments during a period of massive global expansion. While the company operates a "remote co-located" model, you must live within commuting distance of their hubs in LA, NYC, SF, or Seattle to participate in in-person strategy sessions. **You might be a good fit if you:** * Have successfully led massive, cross-functional technical initiatives without formal management authority. * Thrive in high-stakes environments where you must balance rapid shipping with long-term system reliability. * Are comfortable working across Elixir, Python, and JavaScript to build event-driven, real-time systems. * Possess strong product instincts and care as much about user impact as you do about clean code.