Formal is hiring: Software Engineer | Backend in San Francisco

Join to apply for the Software Engineer | Backend role at Formal Join to apply for the Software Engineer | Backend role at Formal About Formal Formal is data security platform designed to help teams understand and control their data on autopilot. About Formal Formal is data security platform designed to help teams understand and control their data on autopilot. We're building a modern protocol-aware reverse-proxy for datastores and APIs that helps organizations understand their data in real-time. This allows teams to see how sensitive data is stored, consumed, and used in order to enforce least privilege through masking, filtering, or anonymization policies. We are trusted by leading companies such as Ramp, Gusto, Notion to solve problems across data security and compliance, data quality management, and infrastructure access. Formal is backed by top-tiers VCs including Thrive Capital and Y Combinator with angel investors that include executives and founders from Datadog, Clickhouse, Plaid, and Vanta. About The Role Formal is on a mission to build the best engineering team and we're looking for people who want to make outsized impact on shaping the product and building the company. Our ideal candidate has a deep understanding of building scalable backend systems, a strong sense of ownership, and enjoys owning projects from inception to scaling it in production. Our tech stack currently involves Golang, Rust, Temporal, Datastore protocols (Postgres, S3, Kafka, MySQL, Snowflake, Redshift, SSH), and AWS What You'll Do Design and develop a high performance data platform that can handle large volumes of data in real-time Build new product features from start to finish through to research, implementation, and maintenance Help improve performance and reliability of net new and existing features Lead any initiative you think may have a strong impact on Formal Design scalable services as Formal grows and processes more traffic What You Need Software development experience building data-intensive software platforms You value code simplicity and performance Strong knowledge of Golang and experience with its ecosystem Experience with streaming data processing frameworks such as Apache Kafka and Google Pub/Sub Experience debugging and optimizing complex production systems Experience working in DBs, OS, networking, or other systems-level environments Experience with containerization technologies (Docker, ECS, or Kubernetes) and infrastructure as a code technologies (Terraform) Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well within a team You are a strong problem solver and have solid production debugging skills Nice-to-Haves You have worked in a fast, high-growth startup environment before You have experience using tools like Temporal and Render You have extensive knowledge of datastore protocols (Postgres, S3, Kafka) Familiarity with cloud computing platforms, such as Azure or GCP Compensation This role offers cash compensation and a stock options grant. The positioning of offers within a certain range depends on various factors, including: candidate experience, qualifications, skills, and business requirements. Benefits (for U.S.-based full-time employees) 100% medical, dental & vision insurance coverage for you Partially covered for your dependents Flexible PTO Seniority level Seniority level Entry level Employment type Employment type Full-time Job function Job function Engineering and Information Technology Industries Data Security Software Products Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Formal by 2x Get notified about new Software Engineer jobs in San Francisco, CA . Software Engineer, Infrastructure, Early Career San Francisco, CA $150,000.00-$230,000.00 4 months ago Full-Stack Software Engineer (Jr/Mid level) San Francisco, CA $57.00-$61.00 2 weeks ago Software Development Engineer I - Frontend & Mobile San Francisco, CA $57.00-$61.00 2 weeks ago San Francisco, CA $150,000.00-$176,000.00 3 months ago San Francisco, CA $160,000.00-$200,000.00 2 months ago San Francisco, CA $120,000.00-$190,000.00 9 months ago Software Engineer, AI Intern (Summer 2026) San Francisco, CA $57.00-$61.00 2 weeks ago San Francisco, CA $130,000.00-$140,000.00 6 days ago San Francisco, CA $125,000.00-$175,000.00 2 months ago Software Engineer, AI Intern (Winter 2026) San Francisco, CA $57.00-$61.00 2 weeks ago Software Engineer, Frontend (All Levels) San Francisco, CA $150,000.00-$220,000.00 4 days ago San Francisco, CA $163,200.00-$223,200.00 6 days ago San Francisco, CA $155,000.00-$339,500.00 5 days ago San Francisco, CA $140,000.00-$280,000.00 9 months ago San Francisco, CA $120,000.00-$200,000.00 2 years ago San Francisco, CA $165,000.00-$165,000.00 2 years ago San Francisco, CA $130,000.00-$240,000.00 5 days ago San Francisco, CA $190,000.00-$250,000.00 5 days ago We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI. #J-18808-Ljbffr