Software Engineer, Platform Team
San Francisco, CA

Job Description

Over the coming years, biotech will fundamentally rewrite the way we live. Gene editing and cell therapy are dramatically changing how we treat cancer and other major illnesses. Biofuels and biomaterials are transforming the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, and the makeup of everyday objects. Crop science and synthetic biology are producing sustainable and ethical food. Benchling's mission is to accelerate the research that propels us towards this reality, and magnify its impact, through modern software.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of scientists around the world use Benchling in their efforts to solve humanity's most pressing problems. For these scientists, Benchling is the central technology they use to conduct their research.

Benchling was founded by a team of MIT graduates and has raised funding from Benchmark, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, and Y Combinator. Our customers include pharmaceutical giants, leading biotechs, and the world's most renowned research institutes.

Our engineering team is comprised of the Applications Team, the Platform Team, and the Customer Engineering Team. The Platform Team is responsible for the underlying infrastructure and foundation of the Benchling product. This ranges from backend areas like server infrastructure and permissions to product-level systems like unified search and navigation. Platform also owns the systems that power our customer-facing APIs.

RESPONSIBILITIES

* Own projects end-to-end, from initial design, to prototype, to large-scale rollout.
* Design and implement backend models and API endpoints for complex scientific workflows.
* Design and implement rich frontend components and architecture. We build and operate one of the largest, richest React applications out there and power complex scientific analyses.
* Work closely with product managers, designers, marketing, and sales to ensure the right context is being shared.
* Help rapidly scale our product and team. As a member of the engineering team, you'll be an integral part of how we mature our tooling, best practices, engineering processes, and hiring.

YOU

* Have 3-5 years of experience in software engineering.
* Build software with a product-first approach. You ship code quickly and care about the real world impact of your code.
* Have strong abilities in problem solving and iterating on feedback.
* Enjoy ownership and building key pieces of product.
* Are interested in learning more about life science (prior knowledge is not required; desire to learn is a must).

YOU MIGHT WORK ON

Check out our engineering blog for some examples of past work. Here are some other examples of recent and future projects:

* Complex querying and visualization tools - The big advantage of keeping all your data stored in one system is that you can query that data all at once, without digging up multiple sources. This works best when you can query Benchling the same way you can query a database: by choosing from a large number of possible filters on any related objects, joining together various sources, and performing aggregations. We want to enable this in a user-friendly experience, without leaving your browser.
* Data warehouse as a product - customers can click a button and spin up a fully-managed, query-able warehouse with all their Benchling data in one place. Customers get the full power of Redshift/Postgres without having to manage ETL pipelines or tune Postgres configuration values.
* A new permissions system - Our existing permission system relies on Read/Write/Admin access that can only be applied at the top level of the file hierarchy. To roll out to enterprises with 500+ users, we need to offer them fine-grained control around exactly what actions a user can take and let them manage these in a hierarchical fashion.

OUR VALUES

* Empower through information. We explain the "why" behind every decision, unless there are highly sensitive circumstances. We're honest about how we're doing, especially in difficult times. We believe that sharing information builds trust and enables better decision-making.
* Rely on tenacity. Hard work is one of the greatest factors to determine success and is fully under our control. We must make the most of every day by bringing the highest level of determination. Dreaming big is not enough.
* Raise the bar. Pushing ourselves and others to improve will be uncomfortable and at times result in failure. However, it's critical to our success. We're dedicated to creating a place where everyone feels challenged to improve.
* Build a lever. We choose to build tools and infrastructure that will help others make world-changing innovations. There's less glory in it, but in the words of Archimedes, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

PERKS AND BENEFITS

* Beautiful, light-filled office in the Financial District of SF
* Monthly health & wellness stipend (up to $100/month on a gym membership, running shoes, or even a massage)
* Work with a talented yet humble team
* Meals and snacks covered
* 401k
* Medical, dental, and vision insurance
* Commuter benefits
* Happy hours, company and team wide social events

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.