Job Description
As a Senior Software Engineer (Backend) at Culturello, you’ll help shape a production platform used by millions while influencing how we evolve our systems in an increasingly AI-driven world.
You’ll contribute through hands-on development, architectural decision-making, code review, and collaboration across engineering, product, and design. We value engineers who bring strong judgment, curiosity, and a sense of ownership — not just people who can write code.
We are actively evolving our platform — continuing the long-standing work of modernizing our stack, improving developer experience, and increasing system reliability — while also responsibly incorporating applied AI, including LLM-powered workflows and intelligent automation, into a mature, mission-critical system.
Technology You’ll Work With
Our stack continues to evolve, but today includes:
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Backend: PHP (Laravel), MySQL, Elasticsearch / Solr
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Frontend: JavaScript (React, Next.js)
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Infrastructure: AWS, Docker, CI/CD pipelines
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Data & Systems: Distributed systems, data pipelines, caching layers
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AI & Automation: LLMs, embeddings, vector search, AI agents, evaluation workflows
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Testing & Quality: PHPUnit, Cypress, automated deployments
Why You’ll Love Working Here
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Impact That Matters: Your code won’t just live in a repository – it will help real people achieve their goals and improve their lives. We’re building a cognitive architecture that combines behavioral science, AI, and engagement mechanics to create meaningful outcomes.
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Applied, Real-World AI: We focus on deploying AI where it genuinely adds value — not chasing trends. You’ll help shape how modern AI techniques are used responsibly in production systems.
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Modern, Evolving Stack: We run cloud-native infrastructure on AWS and continuously improve how we build, ship, and operate software.
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Collaborative, Low-Ego Culture: We’ve cultivated a team where everyone genuinely enjoys working together. Our product and development teams work in close partnership, fostering an environment where knowledge sharing is the norm and support is always available. No egos, no jerks – just smart, helpful people working together to build something meaningful.
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Stability with Momentum: With 15+ years in the market and over 1,000 locations deployed, we offer stability without stagnation — you’ll have the autonomy to innovate and make meaningful contributions while working with a seasoned team that knows how to execute.
Key Responsibilities
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Backend Feature Development: Design, build, and maintain advanced backend features that support scale, reliability, and excellent user experiences.
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Architecture & APIs: Architect and evolve APIs and services with an emphasis on performance, clarity, and long-term maintainability.
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Applied AI Systems: Contribute to the design and implementation of AI-powered features using techniques such as LLMs, RAG, embeddings, vector databases, and agent-based workflows.
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AI-Assisted Development: Use modern AI coding tools to accelerate development while maintaining high standards for correctness, security, and maintainability.
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Performance & Reliability: Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks across application code, databases, and infrastructure.
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Security & Data Protection: Help ensure our systems meet high standards for data integrity, privacy, and security.
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Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with frontend engineers, product managers, and designers to deliver cohesive solutions.
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Technical Leadership: Mentor other engineers, participate in technical decision-making, and contribute to a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
AI-Assisted Development & Coding Agents
We actively embrace AI-assisted development as part of how we build software.
You’ll be expected to:
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Use tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Codex, or similar to improve productivity and explore solutions.
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Critically review and take ownership of AI-generated code.
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Help evolve workflows that integrate AI into design, implementation, debugging, and testing.
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Stay open to new development paradigms as tools and practices continue to evolve.
We care far more about judgment and adaptability than about specific tools.
What We’re Looking For
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Strong experience building backend systems with PHP and Laravel (or equivalent frameworks).
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Deep experience operating production MySQL databases at scale.
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Experience applying AI technologies in production systems or a demonstrated ability to learn and deploy new technologies quickly and responsibly.
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You have hands-on exposure to modern AI concepts such as LLMs, embeddings, vector databases, RAG, or AI agents — you may not be an expert in all of them, but you’ve worked with or meaningfully explored some and understand how they are applied in real systems.
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Experience working with cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred).
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Comfort working in CI/CD-driven environments.
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Strong communication skills in written and remote-first settings.
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Ability to break down complex systems into manageable, well-designed components.
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A collaborative mindset and willingness to both give and receive feedback.
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Experience working effectively on distributed or remote teams.
Examples of Relevant Experience
You may have experience such as:
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Leading or significantly contributing to a system built by multiple engineers or teams.
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Owning a software project from early design through production and long-term maintenance.
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Modernizing or replacing a legacy system.
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Building authenticated, RESTful API-driven platforms.
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Deploying and operating load-balanced, multi-server environments.
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Introducing or owning backend technologies like Elasticsearch, Redis, RabbitMQ, or similar.
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Diagnosing and optimizing performance issues in demanding systems.
Compensation & Benefits
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Competitive salary
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Multiple health benefit plans and a company-funded FSA
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MacBook Pro, monitors, and necessary equipment
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Paid subscriptions and learning resources (Cursor, PhpStorm, Laracasts, books, and more)
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Generous paid time off, flexible schedules, and a healthy work-life balance
