We’re looking for a Senior Backend Engineer (II) to join our Special Projects Team, the team responsible for building Runna features directly inside the Strava app.
You’ll design and build the services that let Strava athletes experience Runna’s structure training and workout analysis natively within Strava. This is a rare chance to shape how two products with tens of millions of combined users connect at the data and platform level
Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services using Strava’s tech stack (Ruby, Java, Scala, Python, Go, MySQL, Redis, Cassandra, Kafka, Kubernetes, Docker, Elasticsearch, and GraphQL)
Develop and optimise APIs that seamlessly integrate with client-facing applications to deliver impactful features
Partner directly with Strava engineering teams in San Francisco and Berlin to align on data contracts, service boundaries, and integration patterns, which will involve some overlap with US and CET working hours
Collaborate with cross-functional partners, including product managers, designers, and client-side engineers, to align technical implementation with business needs
Mentor and support other engineers, fostering a culture of learning, growth, and technical excellence
Ensure service reliability, scalability, and performance while balancing technical debt with new feature development
Act as a go-to resource on Strava’s backend stack for the wider Runna engineering team, building that fluency through pairing, code review, knowledge-sharing sessions etc
Benefits
Own a part of Runna: We want you to own a part of the company you’re building. Everyone who joins Runna receives a generous stock options package
Grow with us: As one of our early hires, you’ll have a unique opportunity to shape and influence Runna’s product and culture from the beginning
Learn and develop: We work with all of the latest tools and technologies so you can learn at the cutting edge of product development
Team socials: We’re a friendly bunch and like to make work-like fun, whether that’s lunches and dinners or our bi-weekly team run
Paid vacation: We want people to take time off to rest and rejuvenate. Runna offers 25 vacation days + bank holidays
Tools: You’ll receive all new equipment including a laptop, running watch of your choice, and anything else you need to do your best work
Get paid to Run(na): We have a dedicated hour block each week where you’ll get paid to run! Whether you want to build up to your first 5k or do that tough intervals sessions it’s up to you!
Enhanced family care: 3 months fully paid when you welcome a new Runna into the family, as well as fertility support & a host of other benefits- Comfort working with colleagues across US and European time zones, with occasional flexibility on working hours to enable that overlap
You excel at mentoring engineers and fostering a positive, growth-oriented team culture
You are proficient in at least one of Strava’s core backend languages (Ruby, Java, Scala, Python, or Go)
You have 5+ years of professional software development experience or equivalent expertise in backend engineering
You have experience with relational (e.g., MySQL) and NoSQL (e.g., Redis, Cassandra) databases in production environments
You have a solid understanding of distributed systems, API design (GraphQL is a plus), and technologies like Kafka, Kubernetes, and Docker
