Staff Backend Engineer (Streaming and AI Infrastructure)

We are looking for a visionary Staff Software Engineer to lead the architectural design of a platform capable of processing over 100k+ events per second with sub-second, end-to-end latency. This system will serve as the central nervous system for Coupang, enabling real-time product and customer data and instant personalization. You will build a system that doesn't just meet industry standards but sets them, ensuring 5-6 nines availability while leveraging AI to optimize data flows and automate complex system behaviors. What You Will Do Architect for Velocity: Lead the end-to-end design of a distributed streaming engine. You will Build the Best Team and Help Them Grow by setting the gold standard for high-throughput, low-latency architectural integrity. Define Extreme Performance : Design for "5-6 nines" (99.9999% availability) at a throughput of 100k+ events/sec. You will Dive Deep into JVM tuning, memory management, and network I/O to ensure sub-second latency across global clusters. AI-Driven Streaming : Integrate AI/ML models directly into the stream processing path. Implement predictive scaling and intelligent load balancing to ensure we Wow the Customer through seamless, real-time platform responsiveness. Solve Hard Problems : Address challenges related to distributed consistency, at times, exactly-once processing guarantees, and backpressure management. You must Be Data-Driven to validate architectural decisions against massive, bursty traffic patterns. Basic Qualifications Bachelor's degree in computer science, Electrical Engineering, Math, or a closely related field 4 years of experience in backend software development Proficiency in Java and the Spring Framework Experience working in cloud environments, particularly AWS Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining highly available, distributed systems Preferred Qualifications Expert-level experience in Cassandra, TiDB, or DynamoDB Expert-level proficiency in Java and the Spring Framework. Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining highly available, distributed systems in cloud environments (AWS). Experience with high-volume messaging systems (e.g., Kafka, SQS) Extensive Experience: 10+ years of professional software development experience building backend infrastructure that supports global-scale, real-time traffic. Performance Expert: Proven track record of optimizing JVM applications for ultra-low latency ( AI Integration: Experience or a strong architectural vision for using AI/ML to automate system-level functionality, such as real-time anomaly detection in data streams. Distributed Systems Expert: Deep understanding of the CAP theorem, consensus algorithms, and building fault-tolerant systems from the ground up. Pay & Benefits Our compensation reflects the cost of living across several US geographic markets. At Coupang, your base pay is one part of your total compensation. The base pay for this position ranges from $152,000/year to $282,000/year. Pay is based on several factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills and experience. General Description of All Benefits A nnual bonus is 0-20% of the base salary Medical/Dental/Vision/Life, AD&D insurance Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HAS) Long-term/Short-term Disability Employee Assistance Program (EAP) program 401K Plan with Company Match 18-21 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) a year based on the tenure 12 Paid Holidays Paid Parental leave Pre-tax commuter benefits MTV- [Free] Electric Car Charging Station General Description of Other Compensation “Other Compensation” includes, but is not limited to, bonuses, equity, or other forms of compensation that would be offered to the hired applicant in addition to their established salary or wage scale. Recruitment Process and Others Recruitment Process Application Review - Phone Interview - Onsite (or Virtual Onsite) Interview – Offer The exact nature of the recruitment process may vary according to the specific job and may be changed due to scheduling or other circumstances. Interview schedules and the results will be informed to the applicant via the e-mail address submitted at the application stage. Details to Consider This job posting may be closed prior to the stated end date for application if all openings are filled. Coupang has the right to rescind an offer of employment if a candidate is found to have submitted false information as part of the application process. Coupang does not discriminate against disabled applicants or those with veteran status. We are proud to offer equal opportunities for all applicants. Privacy Notice Your personal information will be collected and managed by Coupang as stated in the Application Privacy Notice located below: https://www.coupang.jobs/privacy-policy/ C oupang is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or gender (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, transgender status), national origin, age, disability, medical condition, HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C status, marital status, military or veteran status, use of a trained dog guide or service animal, political activities, or affiliations, citizenship, or any other characteristic or class protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation in the recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at usrecruiting@coupang.com .