Job Specifications
About The Company
Artisan is at the forefront of building autonomous AI employees that transform the way businesses operate. Unlike traditional copilots or assistants, Artisan develops AI-driven teammates capable of independently executing complex tasks, learning, adapting, and improving over time. Their flagship AI, Ava, exemplifies this vision by autonomously managing outbound sales sequences, researching leads, crafting personalized emails, and maintaining email deliverability infrastructure. Human team members leverage Artisan as their primary platform, replacing a multitude of sales tools with a streamlined, intelligent system that collaborates seamlessly alongside them. Having successfully participated in Y Combinator (W24) and secured over $35 million from top-tier investors, Artisan has rapidly grown to a $7 million+ ARR with a diverse customer base including Remote, Quora, and SumUp. The company is currently advancing Ava 2.0, pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities, and is actively hiring talented professionals to join their innovative team.
About The Role
As a Backend Engineer at Artisan, you will play a critical role in designing, building, and scaling the infrastructure that powers our AI employees. This is a highly impactful position that involves developing resilient and scalable backend systems capable of handling high-throughput AI requests with precision and reliability. You will own the end-to-end delivery of features, from initial design through deployment, ensuring rapid and high-quality releases. Collaboration is key; you will work closely with product managers, designers, AI engineers, and operations teams to ensure backend solutions align with user workflows and business goals. A unique aspect of this role is working alongside AI coding agents like Claude Code, leveraging AI tools to enhance your productivity and the quality of your work. You will champion engineering best practices, including testing, observability, deployment pipelines, and system reliability, while continuously iterating to improve architecture and manage technical debt. This role offers a rare opportunity to build the foundational infrastructure for a groundbreaking product category—AI-powered autonomous teammates—while working in a fast-paced, innovative environment that values ownership, collaboration, and technical excellence.
Qualifications
Minimum of 2+ years of backend engineering experience in high-growth or early-stage environments, preferably Series B or similar.
Proven expertise in building scalable, data-intensive services with modern APIs and robust infrastructure.
Strong proficiency with cloud-native tools such as containers, orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes), monitoring systems, and CI/CD pipelines.
Deep understanding of distributed systems, API design, system reliability, performance optimization, and database management (SQL and NoSQL).
Experience with modern backend stacks, preferably TypeScript/Node.js, or equivalent technologies.
Demonstrated ownership in leading system components independently and delivering impactful results.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate architectural decisions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Responsibilities
Design and implement resilient, scalable backend services and APIs capable of supporting high-volume AI requests.
Own the full lifecycle of feature development—from initial concept, architecture, implementation, to deployment and monitoring.
Collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, AI, and operations teams to ensure backend solutions meet user needs and business objectives.
Leverage AI coding agents like Claude Code to enhance development efficiency and code quality.
Maintain engineering rigor through comprehensive testing, observability, deployment pipelines, and system reliability practices.
Iteratively improve system architecture, manage technical debt, and optimize infrastructure for long-term scalability and performance.
Participate in infrastructure work including deployment, monitoring, and tuning to ensure platform stability and efficiency.
Benefits
Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI technology shaping the future of work and automation.
Competitive salary with real equity upside based on impact and performance.
High-velocity environment that encourages rapid learning, iteration, and growth.
Collaborative, multidisciplinary team with opportunities for cross-functional engagement.
Involvement in building infrastructure for a new and rapidly evolving product category.
Potential for in-person work in San Francisco or New York City, with rare remote opportunities.
US visa sponsorship available for eligible candidates.
Equal Opportunity
Artisan is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, regardless of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristi