Backend Engineer

About Clerkie

Clerkie is a fintech startup on a mission to democratize financial wellness using the power of artificial intelligence. Launched in 2018, Clerkie began with an app, aiming to help the nearly 123 million underserved Americans in need of financial guidance. Since its inception, the company has expanded its services and now pairs consumer guidance with cutting-edge B2B software. By pairing the two through the Clerkie network, these tools have become the go-to resource for creditors looking to manage loan losses while simultaneously helping millions of borrowers get out of debt.

Clerkie is a remote-first company, with over 40 employees spanning 4 time zones across the United States. To date, the company has raised $41 million, including a $33 million Series A round in early 2023. Investors include leading financial and venture institutions, including Citi Ventures, Left Lane Capital, Wellington Ventures, Flourish Ventures, and Vestigo Ventures.

About the role

We’re looking for a Backend Engineer who wants to build and own critical systems in a fast-moving environment. This role is ideal for someone with strong backend fundamentals who is ready to take on meaningful ownership. You’ll work on systems that power Clerkie’s platform and support both internal and external product experiences.

At Clerkie, engineers operate with a high degree of ownership and autonomy. You’ll collaborate across functions, contribute to technical decisions, and help ensure the platform remains reliable as we grow. Because we’re still early, this role goes beyond implementation you’ll play a role in shaping how we build and evolve our systems over time.

Here’s what you’ll do

Design, build, and maintain backend services

Contribute to system reliability, performance, and scalability

Participate in technical design discussions and decision-making

Support feature development across the platform

Improve visibility into system health and performance

Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver a seamless user experience

Contribute to internal engineering practices and documentation

Here’s a snapshot of what the Engineer team tackled recently

Scaled backend systems to support growing enterprise usage

Built new infrastructure to support partner integrations

Improved system observability and production reliability

Supported high-priority product initiatives tied to revenue growth

Collaborated closely with leadership on technical direction and tradeoffs

Refined how we build, ship, and maintain systems

Helped clean up and organize Coda, our internal knowledge hub, to make life easier for future new hires (like you!)

Onboarded a new teammate to the Engineering team and updated internal rituals to set them up for success

Spent the day on a private yacht in the Bahamas (yep), swimming with pigs, paddleboarding, jet skiing, and joining our team hackathon on a private island

And more! From big wins to team traditions, it’s been a big year so far and we’re just getting started 😎

Must-haves

Experience building and shipping backend systems in production

Strong fundamentals in system design and backend architecture

Proficiency in JavaScript / Node.js (or similar backend languages)

Experience working with databases (NoSQL preferred, e.g., MongoDB)

Ability to own projects end-to-end and operate independently

Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical teams

Comfort working in a fast-moving, evolving startup environment

Nice-to-haves (but not required)

Experience working on backend or server-side

Experience with AWS (EC2, S3, etc.) or cloud infrastructure

Experience with distributed systems or data-heavy applications

Familiarity with fintech, financial services, or regulated industries

Background in engineering, computer science, analytics, or another technical field

Experience working in early-stage startups or high-growth environments

Curiosity about financial wellness and technology that improves people’s lives

What we value

Strong ownership mindset - you take responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks

Bias for action - you move quickly and make thoughtful decisions

Customer-first thinking - you care about the real-world impact of what you build

Resilience and adaptability - you can navigate ambiguity and evolving priorities

Desire to build something meaningful and long-lasting

Our salary benefits

💰 Salary range : $90-150k

💼 Equity

💻 Remote-first role (US only)

🧘 Medical, dental, and vision insurance

📈 401(k) + retirement benefits

🌴 Paid time off + annual company retreat

💻 Company laptop + home office stipend

💙 Collaborative, values-driven culture

Our Hiring Process

We believe in a two-way interview process that helps us get to know you and helps you get to know us.

Application Coderbyte (async candidate time)

Recruiting Screen w/ Head of People (15-20 minutes via Google meet)

Take-Home Challenge Live Review w/ Sr. Engineer (challenge is async candidate time…