Staff backend engineer

Staff Backend Software Engineer (Hybrid in South San Francisco)

About the Role:

We’re looking for a Staff Engineer to join our team and lead the development of scalable, high-performance systems that power search, content delivery, and product customization experiences. You’ll be a key technical leader with deep backend expertise — especially in search technologies (e.g., Algolia, Elasticsearch), CMS platforms, and building support for configurable or customizable products.This role demands strong backend engineering skills, fluency in Java, experience with a range of databases (SQL and NoSQL), and the ability to influence architectural decisions across cross-functional teams.

What You’ll Do:

• Own the design and development of backend systems for search, CMS, and product configuration.
• Lead integration and optimization of platforms like Algolia, Elasticsearch, and other search tools.
• Architect scalable, flexible solutions to support customizable product experiences (e.g., configurable SKUs, product builders, real-time pricing logic).
• Design and maintain APIs, services, and data pipelines supporting headless and traditional CMS platforms (e.g., Contentful, Sanity, WordPress).
• Work with relational and non-relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis) and optimize for performance, availability, and scalability.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and engineers to deliver impactful features and systems.
  Provide technical mentorship and guide best practices across the engineering team.
• Take ownership of complex technical challenges and drive them to completion.

What We’re Looking For:

• 8+ years of backend engineering experience in production environments.
• Deep proficiency in Java, with exposure to other backend languages such as Node.js, Python, or Go.
• Expertise in search technologies (Algolia, Elasticsearch, Solr) and relevance tuning.
• Solid understanding of CMS architecture and content delivery pipelines.
• Experience supporting or building customizable/configurable product systems.
• Strong database design skills across both SQL (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Redis) ecosystems.
• Experience building APIs (REST and/or GraphQL), and working within microservices architectures.
• Demonstrated leadership in driving architecture, mentoring peers, and delivering cross-functional initiatives.
• Clear, concise communicator and collaborative team player.Nice to Have:
• Experience with A/B testing frameworks or feature flag systems.
• Familiarity with caching strategies and CDNs.
• Background in e-commerce, B2B platforms, or digital marketplaces.
• Exposure to SEM tools, analytics platforms, and SEO-oriented architectures.
• Contributions to open-source projects or developer communities.

About Twist Bioscience

Twist Bioscience synthesizes genes from scratch, known as “writing” DNA. Just as children learn to both read and write, the next phase of development for the genomics revolution is the ability to write DNA.

At Twist Bioscience, we work in service of people who are changing the world for the better. In fields such as health care, agriculture, industrial chemicals and data storage, our unique silicon-based DNA Synthesis Platform provides precision at a scale that is otherwise unavailable to our customers.

Twist Bioscience Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Twist Bioscience Corporation provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic characteristics, or any other category protected by law.