Backend Engineer, Sr.

About The Company

Airbnb, founded in 2007, has revolutionized the travel and hospitality industry by creating a platform that connects travelers with hosts offering unique stays and experiences worldwide. With over 5 million hosts welcoming more than 2 billion guest arrivals across nearly every country, Airbnb fosters authentic community connections and cultural exchanges. The company's mission is to help create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, providing memorable travel experiences that are personalized and accessible.

Airbnb's innovative approach has established it as a leader in the sharing economy, emphasizing trust, safety, and community. The company continuously invests in technology and infrastructure to support its global operations, ensuring seamless user experiences and scalable solutions. As part of its commitment to technological excellence, Airbnb maintains a dedicated team of professionals working on cutting-edge platforms and services to enhance both host and guest interactions.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Platform Engineer to join Airbnb’s Viaduct team. In this role, you will be instrumental in the development, enhancement, and maintenance of Airbnb’s core data access layer that connects nearly all online data and services. You will work at the intersection of product and infrastructure engineering, focusing on delivering scalable, reliable, and developer-friendly APIs and platforms. Your contributions will directly impact hundreds of engineers at Airbnb by improving the developer experience, optimizing platform performance, and supporting the final stages of our major rewrite project, Viaduct Modern, expected to launch in 2026.

This position offers a unique opportunity to influence Airbnb’s technical architecture at scale, operate critical backend services, and contribute to open-source projects that benefit the broader developer community. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including infrastructure, reliability, CI/CD, and product engineering, to ensure the platform’s robustness and growth. The role demands a strategic mindset, technical expertise, and a passion for building scalable, high-impact systems.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional experience in software engineering, preferably in developer platform or backend service roles
• Proficiency with GraphQL and experience designing and operating GraphQL APIs at scale
• Strong knowledge of Kotlin or similar JVM-based languages
• Experience with AI-enabled development workflows is a plus
• Hands-on experience operating critical online backend services in production environments
• Demonstrated ability to ship complex, high-visibility projects on time and with high quality
• Excellent collaboration skills, with a track record of working effectively across product and infrastructure teams
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity to refine abstract requirements into concrete solutions
• Experience with cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and platform reliability best practices
• Passion for open-source contributions and community engagement is desirable

Responsibilities

• Develop, enhance, and maintain Airbnb’s core data access platform, ensuring scalability and reliability
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to refine platform requirements, architecture, and technical roadmaps
• Implement and optimize GraphQL APIs, ensuring seamless data integration and performance
• Participate in the finalization and launch of Viaduct Modern, contributing to its architecture and deployment
• Support and improve platform observability, reliability, and security to minimize downtime and incident response times
• Share knowledge and mentor team members to foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation
• Engage with the open-source community by contributing to Viaduct and related projects
• Support operational excellence through sustainable engineering practices, including on-call responsibilities and long-term fixes
• Partner with tenant teams to understand their needs and deliver solutions that enhance their development workflows

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Generous paid time off and holidays
• Flexible work arrangements, including remote work options
• 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
• Professional development opportunities and continuous learning support
• Employee travel credits and wellness programs
• Inclusive and diverse workplace culture that values innovation and collaboration

Equal Opportunity

Airbnb is committed to creating an inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to fostering an equitable workplace where all individuals are valued and respected. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status.