Summary: Seeking a Senior Backend Engineer (.NET / AI Systems) to lead the technical function of an early-stage SaaS platform, owning architecture, reliability, and AI systems while mentoring a small team. Highlights: 1. Own the entire technical function of an early-stage SaaS platform 2. Hands-on leadership role focused on backend, AI, and team guidance 3. Thrive in an early-stage startup environment **Job Title:** Senior Backend Engineer (.NET / AI Systems)r **Position Type:** Full\-Time, Remote **Working Hours:** U.S. Business Hours **About the Role** We are hiring a Senior Backend Engineer (.NET / AI Systems) to own the entire technical function of an early\-stage SaaS platform. This is a hands\-on leadership role where you will write production code daily while making architecture, infrastructure, and AI system decisions for a platform operating at scale. You will be accountable for backend architecture, system reliability, AI pipelines, and guiding a small development team in a fast\-moving startup environment. **Responsibilities** **Backend Architecture \& Engineering** * Design, build, and maintain a .NET 8\.0 / C\# backend using Clean Architecture and DDD principles * Own the architecture and codebase across 14\+ independently deployed microservices * Deliver new features, refactor existing systems, and resolve performance bottlenecks **AI Systems \& LLM Orchestration** * Design and operate production\-grade AI pipelines across multiple LLM providers * Optimize prompts and workflows for batch processing, personalization, and segmentation at scale * Manage rate limits, failover strategies, and cost optimization across AI providers **Databases \& Data Infrastructure** * Manage MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB in production environments * Oversee bulk writes, caching strategies, event streams, and analytics pipelines * Ensure data consistency and performance across distributed services **Infrastructure, Reliability \& Monitoring** * Own Linux\-based infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and service deployments * Implement centralized logging, monitoring, alerting, and uptime tracking * Proactively identify and mitigate reliability and scalability risks **API Integrations \& System Resilience** * Manage 25\+ third\-party API integrations used in production * Design retry, fallback, and graceful degradation strategies * Ensure system stability when external providers fail or degrade **Team Leadership \& Engineering Standards** * Lead and mentor a small engineering team through code reviews and architectural guidance * Set and enforce engineering standards, workflows, and best practices * Collaborate closely with the founder on product direction and technical strategy **What Makes You a Perfect Fit** * You are a senior, hands\-on engineer who enjoys owning systems end\-to\-end * You are comfortable being the most experienced technical person on the team * You balance fast execution with long\-term architectural thinking * You take ownership of reliability, performance, and technical outcomes * You thrive in early\-stage startup environments **Required Experience \& Skills** * Deep expertise in .NET 8\.0, C\#, ASP.NET Core, and Entity Framework Core * Experience with distributed systems and independently deployed services * Strong production experience with MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB * Hands\-on DevOps experience with Linux servers and CI/CD pipelines * Experience managing large numbers of third\-party API integrations * Proven experience building and operating AI/LLM systems at scale * Familiarity with AI\-assisted development tools and workflows * Strong understanding of monitoring, observability, and incident prevention * Experience leading small engineering teams * Strong English communication skills **What Does a Typical Day Look Like ?** * Write and review production backend code * Make architectural decisions across services, databases, and AI pipelines * Monitor system health and resolve reliability issues * Guide developers through code reviews and technical feedback * Collaborate with the founder on product and system evolution In short: You own the technical foundation of the platform and ensure it scales reliably while enabling rapid product development. **Key Metrics for Success (KPIs)** * System uptime and service reliability * Backend and AI system performance improvements * AI cost efficiency and pipeline stability * Code quality and deployment reliability * Team execution and delivery quality **Interview Process** * Initial Screening Call * Technical Interview with Pavago Recruiter * Client Interview * Offer \& Onboarding \#LI\-AG1