Lead Software Engineer
Company Description:
Backblaze is the object storage leader in the open cloud movement, fueling customer success with cloud storage built purposefully to unlock budgets, unburden administrators, and unleash innovators. Together with our partners, we’re helping customers break free from the restrictive, overpriced legacy solutions that hold them back, and blaze forward with the full power of the open cloud in their hands.
Founded in 2007, we scaled the business with less than $3 million in outside funding until 2021, when we did a traditional IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Today, Backblaze generates over $100m in revenue and is the leading specialized storage cloud - managing over three billion gigabytes of data storage for 500K+ customers in 175+ countries, including businesses, developers, IT professionals, and individuals.
Want to know what you’ll be doing?
You will work on our storage platform which supports the B2 Object Storage and Computer Backup products, responsible for reliably storing the customer data. You will develop host-managed SMR support for the storage platform, optimizing for throughput and costs.
Responsibilities:
Lead technical design discussions and produce clear design documents
Drive the implementation on large features
Shape coding methodologies and best practices
Define
The Right Fit:
10+ years of OOP (Java, Rust, C++, C#, etc) in an enterprise environment, with a heavy focus on backend development
Experience building host-managed SMR support for storage systems
Experience benchmarking IO performance and resolving bottlenecks
Experience building large scale software systems running on thousands of servers
Professional experience incorporating AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Gemini, Cursor, Claude Code)
Comfortable with all aspects of the software development lifecycle, including design, implementation, testing, and rollout
Exhibits curiosity and seeks to understand before offering solutions
Communicates proactively in a remote environment by keeping the team informed, surfacing blockers early, and moving work forward
Applies analytical thinking to ambiguous problems
Bonus points for:.
Experience with discovering and implementing performance improvements, including CPU and IO
Familiarity with hard drive performance and optimization
Experience building and interpreting models, dashboards, or reports
Understanding of Linux internals and file systems
Required for all Backblaze Employees:
Good attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done
Strong desire to work for a small, fast-paced company
Desire to learn and adapt to rapidly changing technologies and work environment
Rigorous adherence to best practices
Relentless attention to detail
Excellent interpersonal skills and good oral/written communication
Excellent troubleshooting and problem solving skills
This position is located in San Mateo, California but will also consider remote work as long as you're no more than three time zones away and can come to San Mateo now and then.
Backblaze Perks:
Healthcare for family, including dental and vision
Competitive compensation and 401K
RSU grants for full-time employees
ESPP program
Flexible vacation policy
Maternity & paternity leave
MacBook Pro to use for work plus a generous stipend to personalize your workstation
Childcare bonus (human children only)
Fertility treatment and support
Learning & development program
Commuter benefits
Culture that supports a healthy work-life balance
To provide greater transparency to candidates, we share base pay ranges for all US-based job postings regardless of state. We set standard base pay ranges for all roles based on function, level, and country location, benchmarked against similar-stage growth companies. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate location, skills, depth of work experience, and relevant licenses/credentials, and may vary from the amounts listed below.
The base pay range for this position is:
Non-Bay: $205,000 - $230,000
Bay Area: $245,000 - $265,000
At Backblaze, we value being fair and good to our customers, partners, and employees. That’s why diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of our values. We are committed to fostering a workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, socio-economic status, ability, veteran status, and education. We believe that our dedication to cultivating a diverse workspace not only allows us to better serve our customers in over 175 countries, but further reinforces our commitment to doing the right thing. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To understand more about the data we collect and process as part of your application, please view our Backblaze Employee Privacy Notice.