Software Engineer, Backend, Workflow Runner

Profound Workflow Engine DeveloperProfound is building the foundational agentic layer for modern companies. Our Workflow Runner is the execution backbone that turns complex AI work into reliable, composable workflows. You will shape the core primitives, execution, scheduling, state, and streaming, that power intelligent systems at scale. What You'll DoBuild core workflow engine primitives used to orchestrate agents, tools, and dataflowsOwn the real-time control plane, including streaming events, reliable job orchestration, idempotency, and replayShip high-leverage systems that turn prototypes into production-grade, scalable workflowsDesign and ship Rust-first backend services and clean APIs for creating, executing, and supervising graph or DAG workflowsBuild reliable job orchestration with multiple response modes, including blocking, streaming, and fire-and-forget, with durable stateStrengthen tenant isolation, security, and access patterns across the platformImprove runtime behavior including scheduling, backpressure, timeouts, retries, and idempotencyEvolve schemas and repositories and own migrations, indexing, and query performanceInstrument with meaningful telemetry and raise the bar on testing and operational excellencePartner closely with product, frontend, and data teams to deliver high-impact featuresWho You AreStrong portfolio or GitHub showing backend or systems design depthProficient in a modern systems language, with Rust as an ideal, and comfortable owning services end-to-end in productionSolid with SQL and relational data modeling, with hands-on experience using PostgreSQLExperience with distributed systems patterns including messaging or streaming, retries, idempotency, and backpressureFamiliar with caching and state systems such as Redis and real-time delivery using SSE or WebSocketsStrong grasp of API authentication and authorization, multi-tenancy, and security best practicesPragmatic, collaborative, and product-minded, thriving in a fast, in-person environmentExperience building or operating workflow engines, schedulers, or agent runtimesExperience with Postgres RLS and data governance at scalePractical exposure to containerization, CI or CD, and cloud environmentsBackground integrating external AI or model providers and securing provider configurationsExperience working with Rust 2024, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka or NATS, containers, modern CI or CD, and real-time streaming to clientsLocationThis is an on-site role based in our NYC or SF office, designed for builders who thrive on speed, iteration, and meaningful impact. We are happy to support visa sponsorship for qualified international candidates. For this role, the expected base salary range is $140,000 to $260,000 (NYC and SF). Comp may vary by location. Profound's total compensation package is designed to be competitive and includes base salary, equity, and a full range of benefits and perks. Final compensation will depend on factors such as your skills, experience, qualifications, and location, and will be determined during the interview process. Our recruiting team will share more details about the full compensation package and benefits as you move through hiring.