Promise is hiring: Software Engineer - Backend in San Francisco
Promise, San Francisco, CA, US
Job Description
Company Overview
Promise modernizes how government agencies and utilities support people in financial difficulty. We build technology that makes it simple for residents to receive benefits, engage with assistance programs, set up flexible payment plans, and stay on track—while helping agencies increase efficiency, recover revenue, and deliver services with dignity. Our mission is to transform public systems so they work better for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.
Our team includes experts from companies like Palantir, Google, Stripe , and esteemed government leaders. We work hard and believe deeply in what we do. We're looking for excellent people to build innovative, resilient technology.
Backed by over $50 million in funding from top investors – such as Reid Hoffman, Howard Schultz, Michael Seibel, Y Combinator, 8VC, The General Partnership, First Round Capital, Kapor Capital, XYZ Ventures, and Bronze Investments – Promise has been recognized as one of Fast Company's "World's Most Innovative Companies of 2022,” “Forbes Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2024,” and Y Combinator’s #1 GovTech startup.
At Promise, we’re building technology that helps families stay afloat—offering flexible, affordable payment solutions that turn financial stress into stability. As a Backend Engineer, you’ll design and scale the systems that make this mission possible.
You’ll spend most of your time hands-on with code, crafting robust microservices and distributed systems, while also mentoring teammates and shaping our engineering culture. This is a role for someone who loves to solve complex problems at scale, thrives in collaborative environments, and wants their work to have real-world impact.
What You’ll DoBuild with impact: Architect and implement scalable backend services that power our payments and financial products.
Code forward: Write and ship clean, maintainable, production-ready code.
Keep systems strong: Monitor, debug, and optimize distributed systems to ensure reliability and high availability.
Level up the team: Mentor engineers and contribute to a culture of learning, ownership, and engineering excellence.
Collaborate deeply: Work with infrastructure, product, and frontend teams to deliver reliable end-to-end solutions.
Experience: 3+ years developing production software with a focus on backend systems.
Systems expertise: Passion for building and debugging large-scale distributed systems.
Cloud fluency: Familiarity with AWS, GCP, or similar cloud platforms.
Mindset: Curious, autonomous, and accountable—with a drive to own problems end-to-end.
Bonus: Experience in payments or fintech environments.
You are energized by big, complex challenges and the opportunity to solve them.
You want your work to have a real, measurable impact on people’s lives.
You take ownership and run toward problems, not away from them.
You value clear, candid, and constructive communication.
You prefer hierarchy and rigid structures. We operate with freedom and responsibility.
You are uncomfortable with change. We move fast, adapt often, and expect agility.
You want a typical corporate culture. We are mission-driven, ambitious, and direct.
You believe efficiency means “doing less.” We believe efficiency means doing better.
100% paid health coverage
Generous PTO and sick leave
Lunch, snacks, and coffee provided
Company retreats
Opportunities to travel and see the impact of your work
Hybrid work: we deeply value in-person collaboration and are in-office at least 3 days a week, but are flexible on working from home
Promise is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or military or veteran status. Additionally, the Company complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which it operates. Promise is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities, pregnant individuals, and those with sincerely held religious beliefs, in accordance with applicable laws.
Promise engages in US government contracts and restricts hiring to US persons, which includes US citizens and permanent residents (e.g., Green Card holders). Additionally, candidates must reside in the US.
Compensation Range: $150K - $215K