Sr. Software Engineer, Backend - Remote Eligible

Sr. Software Engineer, Backend

Calm is a leading consumer mental health company on a mission to support everyone on every step of their mental health journey. Known for its flagship consumer app—ranked #1 in its category with over 180 million downloads and availability in seven languages across 190 countries—Calm helps people sleep better, stress less, and live more mindfully through content and tools from experts and beloved celebrity voices. Building on this foundation, Calm has created a broader portfolio including evidence-based solutions like Calm Health, offered through employers, health plans and providers, designed to expand access to mental health and sleep support, boost benefits engagement, and drive positive health outcomes. Today, Calm supports more than 3,500 organizations and reaches over 17 million covered lives through Calm Health. Calm has been recognized as a TIME100 Most Influential Company and one of Fast Company's Brands That Matter.

Location: We are hiring primarily remote team members for this role, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York City, or Minneapolis areas. While the role is primarily remote, you may be asked to come into the office as needed for in-person collaboration or team events. At this time, only candidates currently living in one of these locations will be considered. We're currently unable to consider candidates outside these areas or offer relocation.

What We Do

We build Calm's product, guide Calm's analysis, secure Calm's data, and operate the platforms that underpin it all. We're product-minded, team-oriented, and grounded in the mission of meeting everyone where they're at on their mental health journey. We work in fast-moving, small pods and as a Senior Backend Engineer you will be expected to gather technical requirements, design and publish technical specs of innovative systems, as well as own building and releasing them into production.

What You'll Do

The Senior Backend Software Engineer is a critical member of the Calm Engineering Team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining the backend systems that power our mobile and web applications. You will work closely with a team of engineers, designers, product managers, and customers to ensure that our products are reliable, performant, and secure. Specifically, you will:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements, define project scope, and develop technical specifications
• Design, develop, and maintain backend systems that are reliable, scalable, and secure
• Lead development and implementation of complex backend features and services, collaborating cross-functionally with QA, DevOps, PMs, and client engineers to ensure smooth development and deployment process
• Write high-quality, well-documented, and easily maintainable code that adheres to industry standard best-practices
• Ensure high test coverage for all code, including unit and integration tests
• Implement backend features with instrumentation and monitoring to detect system errors and performance issues
• Stay up-to-date on the latest backend technologies and trends
• Develop, mentor and train software engineers

Who You Are

• Experience with the following languages/technologies/frameworks (or equivalents):
• Javascript/Typescript (required)
• Node.js (required)
• GoLang (preferred)
• Docker
• Kubernetes
• Terraform
• AWS* / GCP / GKE
• Relational DBs / SQL
• Experience with REST API-based microservices design
• Proven experience working effectively in a fast-paced, agile environment as part of a collaborative team
• Willingness and enthusiasm to learn new technologies and tackle challenging problems
• Comfortable incorporating AI-assisted development (e.g., code generation, review, refactoring) into day-to-day workflows, evaluating where automation adds value versus where human oversight is critical.
• Experience providing accurate high-level estimates based on complexity and consistently delivering on time and with quality
• Consistently deliver on commitments through disciplined estimates and task breakdowns
• Proficiency in writing unit and integration tests in a CI/CD environment
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey technical solutions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Provide high-quality code reviews centered on code quality and mentoring
• Ability to partner with leads across products to leverage institutional knowledge to solve complex problems
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure

Nice to Haves

• Past experience building apps in highly controlled industries, i.e., healthcare

Minimum Requirements

• This role typically requires 5+ years of related experience

The anticipated salary range for this position is $163,400 - $242,000. The base salary range represents the low and high end of Calm's salary range for this position. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. Exact salary will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's skills, experience, and other qualifications. This role is also eligible for equity + comprehensive benefits + 401k + flexible time off.