Senior Software Engineer – Federated GraphQL Platform
US client via staffing partner · Sunnyvale, CA
- Location
- Sunnyvale, CA · 3 days/week onsite
- Salary band
- Band not stated
- Type
- Full-time
- Level
- Senior
- Work authorization
- Not stated
Stack
GraphQL · Apollo Federation · Rust · Go · C++ · Node.js · TypeScript · Scala · Java · Spring · Distributed Systems · Caching · Performance Profiling · Observability · API Middleware · Schema Composition · Envoy · Federated Schemas · SLOs · Incident Response
About the role
Role: Senior Software Engineer – Federated GraphQL Platform Job Location: Sunnyvale, CA (3 days a week) Job Type: Fulltime Y.O.E – 12+ Years Job Description We run a federated GraphQL data layer — a middleware tier that composes many back-end services into a single, typed API that powers large-scale, consumer-facing web experiences. At the center of that layer is a federation router that plans and executes queries across dozens of subgraphs; around it sits the services (subgraphs) that own and expose each domain of data. We're looking for a senior engineer to own the hardest, highest-leverage parts of that platform: the router strategy (adopt, extend, or build) and the core services our team operates, while helping the broader org build on the graph. You'll work close to the metal on performance and correctness, and close to the roadmap on where the platform goes next. Minimum qualifications - 6+ years building and operating production backend [contact hidden] or API/middleware platforms at scale. - Deep experience with GraphQL, and hands-on with federation / schema composition (Apollo Federation or an equivalent). - Strong [contact hidden] fundamentals: distributed [contact hidden], networking, caching, and performance profiling of latency-sensitive services. - Proficiency in a [contact hidden] language for router work — Rust (strongly preferred), or Go/C++ with a clear path to Rust — and the maturity to make build-vs-adopt decisions with evidence. - Polyglot comfort across the subgraph stacks. Our services are built in a mix of Node/TypeScript, Scala, and Java/Spring — you should be able to read, debug, and guide teams in these, even if your deepest expertise is elsewhere. - Experience owning services in production: observability, SLOs, incident response. Preferred qualifications - Experience with GraphQL routers/gateways or API proxies (Apollo Router, Hive, Cosmo, Envoy, or custom), including extending them with plugins/coprocessors. - Contributions to open-source infrastructure, or experience evaluating and adopting OSS into a production platform. - Experience designing federated schemas across multiple teams and guiding others to do the same. - Background in high-traffic, consumer-facing web platforms.
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