Senior Backend Engineer

Who we are: 

Guidewheel is on a mission to empower all the world’s factories to reach sustainable peak performance. We live in a world where you can check the weather of any city or the score of any football game from your phone—so why can’t we get that same instant, automated, and smart visibility into the factory floor? 

Guidewheel has found a way to illuminate those blind spots at scale by starting with a simple truth: every machine–regardless of make, model, or age–uses power.

We first clip a sensor around the power draw of any machine (like a FitBit™ for Factories) to read the machine’s electrical “heartbeat,” and then can layer on additional functionality to empower manufacturers to improve productivity of their existing plants and machines by up to 2X—while simultaneously reducing energy cost and emissions by 15-20%

Founded out of Stanford and backed by top investors including Greycroft, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and BlackRock and Temasek's Decarbonization Partners fund, Guidewheel is scaling fast, already successful with 300+ manufacturers including Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, and Coca-Cola FEMSA, and recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the top companies globally poised to change business and society. We have strong momentum and alignment around our mission, investor support, and a culture that values diversity, a growth mindset, and results. 

Check us out here:

• What is Guidewheel?
• Series B: Led by BlackRock and Temasek’s Decarbonization Partners
• What do Guidewheel customers have to say?
• From our CEO: Lauren Dunford

What we value: 

• Integrity matters: We are honest, straightforward and sincere. With each other. With our investors. With our customers.
• We (actually) care: About each other. About fighting climate change. About making a real impact.
• We use data to make decisions: We possess the courage to accept “hard truths” and confront challenges head-on.
• The power of growth mindset is real: We strive to be the best we can be. We are committed to embracing change and expanding our capabilities.
• Results-driven with a bias for action. We are thoughtful and fast. 
• Adaptable and resilient: Guidewheelers have grit. We thrive in fast-paced environments and aren’t afraid to take on hard things or embrace feedback and continuous improvement. We come through for our customers and teammates. 
• Extreme teamwork. “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” — H.E. Luccock

What you’ll do: We’re a fast-growing start-up—so although the below are your primary responsibilities, we look for teammates who are constantly looking for more: More ways to better themselves, the company, and those around them.

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Guidewheel, you will be primarily responsible for: 

• Develop and enhance the backend architecture of our cloud-based dashboard, ensuring scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Design and implement APIs, databases, and infrastructure, optimizing for performance and security.
• Go beyond execution – ask “why,” understand the broader system architecture, and deliver the most effective backend solutions.
• Translate business and customer needs into scalable, high-performance backend solutions that support long-term growth.
• Architect and design backend systems, gathering and integrating additional resources as needed.
• Own projects end-to-end, driving backend initiatives while coordinating with cross-functional teams.
• Write clean, modular, and maintainable code, ensuring long-term system flexibility and scalability.
• Implement robust testing strategies and promote a culture of test-driven development.
• Maintain clear documentation and proactively communicate technical decisions and trade-offs.
• Conduct thoughtful code reviews, continuously improving code quality and backend best practices.

Tech Stack Our stack includes the following technologies: GCP, PostgreSQL, Redis, Heroku, Node, Vue, Typescript, Big Table, RabbitMQ, Twillio/Sendgrid. Our team collaborates using GitHub, Slack, and Asana.

Who we want: The ideal next Senior Backend Engineer will have a proven winning record of over-achieving in the following skills and experiences:

• 7+ years of experience as a professional software developer, with a strong track record of designing, developing, and deploying scalable backend systems.
• Technical degree in computer science or equivalent, or comparable demonstration of expertise in backend development.
• Deep expertise in backend technologies, including API design, microservices architecture, databases (SQL & NoSQL), and distributed systems.
• Proficiency with CI/CD, automated testing, and DevOps best practices to ensure seamless deployment and maintainability.
• Experience optimizing system performance, scalability, and security in cloud or on-prem environments.
• Comfortable working remotely in a cross-cultural, Agile environment with team members across multiple time zones.
• Entrepreneurial mindset – thrives in a fast-growing team, works closely with stakeholders, and drives product improvements.
• Detail-oriented and highly organized, balancing big-picture thinking with rigorous execution.
• Proactive, self-directed team player, able to prioritize tasks, communicate clearly, and manage multiple work streams.
• Values transparency and constructive feedback, fostering a collaborative and high-performance team culture.

Some Nice to Haves

• Experience managing a team of software developers
• Familiarity with design thinking tools
• Experience scaling a web-based software product with billions of data points

What’s in it for you? There are a lot of reasons why you should want to be our Backend Engineer, but some of the top reasons are:

• You’ll get to work with cutting-edge software technologies, including the latest machine learning and big data tools, on a constant stream (terabytes/week) of time-series machine data.
• You’ll get to develop core technology for a product-first startup.
• Be a leader on our small founding international team of engineers, helping to determine the future of our technology and the tools we use to solve meaningful problems for our customers.
• Participate in the full product development process, from prioritization and design to deployment and maintenance. 
• You’ll get to build side-by-side with amazing humans, at a company on a mission to reach a $10B IPO by 2030, and see the positive impact of your work every day on the backbone of the economy and on the planet. 
• You’ll get the privilege of joining at the ground level in building the FactoryOps layer for the world’s factories and a company with generational impact. 
• You’ll be an equity partner in the business, with our generous employee equity program. We want all our team members to have a stake in Guidewheel’s success. 

Additional benefits include: 

• Fair & equitable pay. Annual on-target earnings for this role are in the range of $165,000 - $195,000, dependent on many factors and our internal compensation and role bands.
• 100% remote culture. Work from wherever, whenever - we hired you to get a job done, and as long as that is happening, you have the autonomy to get it done where and when you feel comfortable.
• Flexible PTO policy. We value balance and boundaries. To be the best version of you, you need time away from your screen, so we want you to take it. 
• Generous equity. Everyone at Guidewheel receives equity in the business. You will be working hard to build something great, and when we reach the finish line, you should be rewarded for your hard work. 
• Health Benefits. We offer different health benefits to cover your personal needs from day one of employment - you pick the plan that makes the most sense to you.

• Additional Perks. Included but not limited to, 401k (match up to 4%), $500 home office set-up, parental leave, company laptop, retirement plan, paid company holidays, and some (if you choose) company travel to spend time with your Guidewheel peers.  

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

Guidewheel is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Guidewheel makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.