Staff Engineer at Lightfield

Setup: Remote, Hybrid
Location: San Francisco, California
Type: Full-time
Level: not_specified
Posted: Mar 10, 2026

Description

Lightfield is seeking a Staff Engineer to drive the architecture and execution of their backend systems. This role involves leading the development of the API platform, core data model, and supporting new AI-driven capabilities. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in backend systems, particularly in relational databases like PostgreSQL, and will possess strong architectural and design leadership skills.

Required Skills

Backend Systems
Technical Leadership
Relational Databases
Query Optimization
Indexing Strategy
Multi-Tenant SaaS

Additional Information

Required Previous Experiences: 8+ years of experience building and scaling backend systems, with meaningful time spent in technical leadership roles (tech lead, staff engineer, or equivalent)
You've owned the architecture of significant product-facing systems - not just infrastructure, but the backend that drives what customers experience
You've led large, ambiguous projects end-to-end - defined the approach, sequenced the work across multiple engineers, and driven execution through to delivery
Preferred Qualifications: Strong experience with relational databases (Postgres preferred) - you understand query optimization, indexing strategy, and the tradeoffs involved in scaling a database-backed application
You've designed and shipped APIs or platform-level systems that other engineers and external customers build on (versioning, auth, rate limits, backward compatibility)
You’ve built for multi-tenant SaaS at scale and understand isolation, data growth, and performance tradeoffs
You have strong product instincts - you care about why something is being built, not just how, and you prioritize based on customer impact
Comfortable in a fast-moving, early-stage environment where the team is small, the scope is large, and you're expected to operate with significant autonomy