Staff Software Engineer

Whatnot
San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle
Workplace: HybridFull timeUSD 230,000 - 290,000 annuallyFunction: Software EngineeringExperience: 8+ yearsSkills: ["Ownership","Mentorship","Technical leadership","Product instincts","Operating in ambiguity"]

Lead the design and evolution of large distributed systems across live auctions, payments, search, recommendations, trust, and growth funnels. Operate as a technical leader within and across teams, driving architectural direction from ambiguous problems through production. Balance rapid iteration with long-term scalability, raise engineering quality through design reviews and mentorship, and partner with leadership to scale reliability, performance, and developer velocity in a fast-moving marketplace.

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FursaFursa
Whatnot
Whatnot
2 months ago

Staff Software Engineer

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Last checked: 1 hour agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead the design and evolution of large distributed systems across live auctions, payments, search, recommendations, trust, and growth funnels. Operate as a technical leader within and across teams, driving architectural direction from ambiguous problems through production. Balance rapid iteration with long-term scalability, raise engineering quality through design reviews and mentorship, and partner with leadership to scale reliability, performance, and developer velocity in a fast-moving marketplace.
Location: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle
Workplace: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Software Engineering
Seniority: Sr. Manager level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Lead the design and evolution of large distributed systems powering live auctions, payments, search, recommendations, trust systems, and growth funnels.
  • •Own ambiguous, high-leverage technical problems from inception to production and set long-term architectural direction.
  • •Serve as technical lead for major initiatives, driving alignment across multiple teams without formal management authority.
  • •Balance urgency and technical excellence by making principled trade-offs that enable rapid iteration and long-term scalability.
  • •Raise the engineering bar through design reviews, mentorship, and hands-on contributions to critical systems.

Pay and Benefits

Salary: USD 230,000 - 290,000 annually
Perks:Health InsuranceRetirement401kParental LeaveHome Office

Key Requirements

  • •8+ years of full-time software engineering experience, including high-growth environments with significant year-over-year user or revenue growth.
  • •Proven track record leading large technical initiatives in fast-scaling environments.
  • •Experience designing and evolving distributed systems at scale, including service-oriented or event-driven architectures, real-time systems, high-throughput APIs, or data pipelines.
  • •Strong backend and frontend foundation, comfortable integrating end-to-end across languages and technologies (primarily Python, Elixir, JavaScript).
  • •Ability to act as a technical lead across teams without direct people management responsibility, including influencing architecture and technical strategy.
Experience:8+ yearsHigh-growthLive commerceMarketplacesDistributed systems
Skills:OwnershipMentorshipTechnical leadershipProduct instinctsOperating in ambiguity
Tech Stack:PythonElixirJavaScript

Company Brief

Whatnot
Whatnot is a live-stream shopping marketplace connecting sellers and collectors for trading cards, toys, and collectibles. The platform hosts live auctions and interactive streams, enabling creators and small businesses to sell directly to engaged communities.
Industry: Online Marketplaces
Company Size: Large (251 to 1,000 employees)
Growth: Scaleup
Valuation: Unicorn (USD 1B+)
Funding: Series D
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2019
WebsiteLinkedIn