Senior Backend Engineer, Web & Cloud

Who We Are

At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors — regardless of their defense budget — through innovative, cost‑efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a VC‑backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we’re pioneering the development of mission‑adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators.

By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we’re pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world‑class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost. Join us at Firestorm as we redefine defense procurement, making cutting‑edge technology accessible to all at a fraction of the cost.

Firestorm is building the next generation of autonomous systems for defense and national security. We move quickly, solve hard technical problems and build software that operates in real environments, not lab simulations. We are seeking an experienced & driven Senior Backend Engineer, Web & Cloud, who will own backend systems that enable real‑time autonomy, data movement, and mission operations. You will architect and scale services, streaming pipelines, and secure cloud‑to‑edge capabilities that connect autonomous platforms, operators, and mission systems.

This role is for engineers who build reliable and scalable systems, understand production constraints, and take ownership of outcomes. You will improve and extend core platform services, contribute to architecture decisions, and support a high‑performance engineering culture as we scale.

• Design, develop, and maintain backend services that support high‑rate data processing, system telemetry, and mission execution workflows
• Architect scalable cloud and edge service infrastructure and drive system‑level design decisions
• Build and maintain APIs, service interfaces, and integration layers for internal systems and trusted external partners
• Develop data models, schemas, and patterns for structured and unstructured data across distributed environments
• Implement observability across all backend systems including metrics, logging, alerting, and performance analysis
• Ensure system security, access controls, auditing, and data protections aligned to defense requirements
• Lead technical discussions, conduct design reviews, and drive architecture improvements across the platform
• Guide CI/CD, testing, automation, and deployment practices to support reliable releases and iterative delivery
• Collaborate with platform, autonomy, and mission operations engineers to ensure system performance in real operational environments

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field
• At least 5 years of software engineering experience, with a strong backend focus (e.g., Node.js, Django, Spring)
• 2+ years building and scaling cloud‑based services and APIs in production environments
• U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations & the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance
• Proven experience building and scaling distributed systems with real‑time data and public APIs
• Familiarity with full‑stack web development concepts, with deep backend expertise
• Strong understanding of system architecture, modular services, and cloud design patterns
• Experience with relational and distributed data systems (e.g., RDBMS, warehouses, time‑series stores)
• Hands‑on experience with Docker and container orchestration in cloud environments (e.g., Kubernetes, AWS Fargate, CI/CD pipelines)
• Experience building secure, monitored, and highly reliable production systems
• Strong communication and ability to operate in fast‑moving, mission‑focused environments

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• Familiarity with robotics, IoT, or autonomous systems
• Experience with Graph
  
  QL (e.g., Apollo or equivalent)
• Experience with a compiled systems language (e.g., Go, Rust)
• Strong background in distributed data and real‑time streaming systems
• Experience…