Staff Software Backend Engineer, Tech Lead - Foundations

NetBox Labs helps companies build and manage complex networks through open, composable network automation products. The company seeks a Staff Software Backend Engineer to technically lead the Foundations team, owning architecture and technical execution for shared platform primitives including authentication, access control, secrets management, and telemetry.

Responsibilities:

• Own the architecture of the Platform Authorization Service (PAS), the system that controls access across the platform
• Set the technical direction for identity, single sign-on (SSO), access control, secrets management services and more
• Lead delivery of Foundations core services, including login, authorization, and tenancy
• Act as the primary technical decision maker for Foundations
• Lead and mentor the Foundations engineering team through daily technical work
• Partner with the Foundations Engineering Manager and Product Manager on team execution
• Drive core components through to GA (general availability) launch
• Define API contracts for platform services that others consume, including Delivery Platform and Application teams
• Work with the Foundations Product Manager to align technical plans with product priorities
• Set engineering standards for code review, testing, and documentation across the team

Requirements:

• 7+ years of software development experience, including technical ownership of a platform or infrastructure area
• 3+ years of experience in a B2B software startup or high-growth organization
• Direct experience with authentication and authorization systems (for example, OAuth, SSO, or role-based access control)
• Experience leading engineering work without formal manager authority
• Backend programming experience in Python and Go
• Experience designing APIs consumed by other engineering teams
• Strong Linux and distributed systems fundamentals
• A track record of making technical decisions under ambiguity
• Experience with Kubernetes and container orchestration
• Experience with network management or infrastructure software (for example, NetBox)
• Open-source contributions or project involvement
• Comfort with AI-enhanced tooling (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT, Cursor)