Description:

Gather is seeking a Staff Backend Engineer to design and implement complex systems for a live video chat platform, multiplayer game, and modern web app.
The role involves taking ownership of the Gather Platform and creating a mature, scalable, and reliable set of services that integrate the game engine, audio/video systems, and app-driven virtual spaces.
Responsibilities include performance tuning the game service to support thousands of users per space, building and securing a web socket API for custom game logic, and expanding the expressiveness of objects within the platform.
The engineer will also improve the reliability, scalability, and performance of the video system through better architecture, testing, and monitoring, as well as rearchitecting the game service to be stateless and massively parallelized.
Additionally, the role includes building a plugin system for community-created add-ons.

Requirements:

Candidates must demonstrate excellence in distributed systems fundamentals.
A minimum of 5 years of experience in shipping systems and infrastructure components at a large scale is required.
Proficiency in Typescript and NodeJS is essential.
Applicants should possess a keen intuition for well-designed software and well-written code.
The ideal candidate will have intrinsic motivation and the ability to own and solve difficult problems independently.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, along with technical leadership abilities, are necessary.
A healthy tolerance for balancing quality and speed in development is also required.

Employees can work remotely from a state-of-the-art virtual office.
The position offers competitive compensation, benefits, and meaningful equity.
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance is provided for employees and their dependents.
A 401k and matching program is available.
The company has a generous PTO policy and offers mental health days for recharging.
Employees receive a meal stipend twice a week.
There are stipends for remote work, education, and health & wellness.
Support for family planning and gender-affirmation is included.
Employees have the opportunity to join a passionate team dedicated to improving people's lives every day.