Staff Software Engineer, Backend Platform

About the team + role

We are building an elite team, applying frontier technologies to the world’s biggest financial problems. We’re looking for bold thinkers. Sharp problem-solvers. Builders who are wired to make an impact. Robinhood isn’t a place for complacency, it’s where ambitious people do the best work of their careers. We’re a high-performing, fast-moving team with ethics at the center of everything we do. Expectations are high, and so are the rewards.

The Backend Platform team’s mission is to enable fast, safe, and reliable backend development at scale. The team builds and maintains shared frameworks, libraries, and tooling that support hundreds of engineers working across backend services. By improving development workflows, strengthening security practices, and standardizing how services are built and maintained, this team plays a critical role in how quickly and safely products reach customers. You will help shape the foundation that backend engineers rely on every day!

As a Staff Software Developer, you will set technical direction and lead large, multi-team initiatives that improve how backend systems are developed and operated. You will design and guide adoption of platform capabilities such as service frameworks, static analysis systems, and developer tooling. This role focuses on solving complex system-level challenges, influencing engineering practices across teams, and ensuring long-term scalability and reliability of backend development. You will also support engineers through technical guidance and contribute to planning and execution of major platform investments!

This role is based in our Toronto office(s), with in-person attendance expected at least 3 days per week.

At Robinhood, we believe in the power of in-person work to accelerate progress, spark innovation, and strengthen community. Our office experience is intentional, energizing, and designed to fully support high-performing teams.

What you’ll do

• You define and lead large-scale initiatives that improve backend development systems, including frameworks, tooling, and shared libraries
• You design long-term technical solutions that support scalability, reliability, and maintainability across backend services
• You guide the evolution of core tooling such as static analysis, formatting systems, and service scaffolding used across the codebase
• You partner with engineering teams such as infrastructure, security, and product engineering to plan and execute platform improvements
• You mentor engineers and provide technical guidance that improves code quality, system design, and development practices

What you bring

• You have extensive experience building and scaling backend systems using Go and Python
• You have deep knowledge of backend frameworks such as Django, gRPC or comparable systems in Go
• You have experience designing internal platforms, developer tooling (Bazel, etc), or shared infrastructure used by multiple teams
• You have demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects and influence engineering direction across teams
• You are committed to improving developer workflows, system quality, and maintainability through thoughtful design

What we offer

• Challenging, high-impact work to grow your career
• Performance driven compensation with multipliers for outsized impact, bonus programs, and equity ownership
• Top tier benefits to fuel your work, including supplemental health insurance, ancillary insurance, and mental health support programs
• Lifestyle wallet - a highly flexible employer-paid benefits spending account expenses beyond traditional benefits such as wellness, childcare, learning, and more.
• Time off to recharge including company holidays, paid time off, sick time, paid volunteer time off, parental leave, and more!
• Exceptional office experience with catered meals, events, and comfortable workspaces.
• Monthly commuter stipend to help offset in-office commuting costs

Our team is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming interview experience for all candidates. If you require a specific accommodation during the application or interview process due to a physical or mental condition, please complete this Applicant Accommodation Form to notify our team. The form should only be completed if you need a specific accommodation.

AI Usage Disclosure: Robinhood uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of our recruiting process. These tools enhance the efficiency and consistency of our hiring process; however, all hiring decisions are made by our hiring teams.

Vacancy Notice: This job posting represents an existing vacancy that we are actively seeking to fill.