Back End Developer

About Us

Spitball AI is an early-stage startup developing the next generation of AI-powered communication tools. We’re building a platform designed for seamless, real-time interaction, combining the latest advancements in artificial intelligence with a strong focus on performance, scalability, and user experience. Our goal is to create technology that feels effortless, engaging, and built for the way people connect today.

Role Overview

We’re looking for a backend developer who can design and implement robust, scalable, and high-performance backend systems. You’ll be responsible for setting up our AWS backend from scratch, designing architecture that can handle real-time messaging, and ensuring everything runs like clockwork as we grow.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of industry experience
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and testing frameworks
• Strong coding skills in any language
• Comfortable wearing multiple hats

What You'll Do

• Architect and develop backend infrastructure for a real-time AI chat app using AWS services
• Implement APIs, databases, and messaging systems to support real-time multi-user chat
• Optimize for performance, scalability, and security
• Work closely with our front-end engineer to ensure seamless integration
• Deploy and manage services in production using Kubernetes (preferred)
• Make architecture decisions that will define our system for years to come

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience in backend development for scalable, high-performance systems
• Strong AWS expertise (e.g., EC2, Lambda, S3, RDS/DynamoDB, API Gateway)
• Experience with real-time chat or social media platforms
• Knowledge of microservices architecture and event-driven systems
• Solid understanding of database design and optimization
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with a small, fast-moving team

Nice to Have

• Experience integrating AI APIs or conversational AI platforms
• Familiarity with WebSockets and low-latency communication protocols
• Previous startup or early-stage product experience

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to build a product from the ground up
• Direct impact on architecture, tech stack, and product direction
• Hybrid flexibility with only one day/week in the office
• Small team, big vision — you’ll shape both the product and the company’s future