Salt AI - Senior Fullstack Platform Engineer (Backend Focus)

Salt AI is on a mission to revolutionize life sciences with reliable, collaborative and forward thinking AI solutions. Founded by leaders in high-performance computing and AI, we empower teams to achieve breakthroughs faster. Our platform is the backbone for cross-functional collaboration, rapid model interchange, and data integrity—fueling innovation in science and healthcare. The Salt Ai team are skilled technologists, backed by strong VC partners with a mission to build exceptional user experiences within AI development.

Salt Ai’s platform prioritizes data integrity and reliability while providing a robust visual-first interface for cross-functional collaboration, allowing for rapid interchangeability of best of breed AI models.

The Role: What You’ll Do

We’re looking for a Senior Fullstack Platform Engineer (with a strong emphasis on backend development) to help build the core infrastructure of our AI platform for life sciences. You’ll play a key role in designing high-performance systems that support AI model orchestration, real-time collaboration, and secure scientific workflows.

Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services and RESTful APIs using Django and Python
• Implement AI/ML workflow orchestration systems tailored to scientific use cases
• Develop microservices for real-time data processing and model management
• Design and optimize relational database schemas for structured scientific data
• Build GraphQL services for flexible client-side data access
• Implement secure, reliable authentication and authorization systems
• Develop responsive components and interfaces using React, TypeScript, and Next.js when needed
• Design efficient caching, queuing, and API optimization strategies
• Support scientific workflow data pipelines with strong emphasis on reliability and traceability
• Collaborate closely with AI/ML engineers to integrate backend services into user-facing features
• Participate in technical planning, code reviews, and system design discussions

Technical Requirements - Core Skills (Must Have):

• 5+ years of professional backend development experience
• Proven experience with Django and Python
• Deep understanding of AI/ML data flow and orchestration
• Proficient in building RESTful APIs and GraphQL endpoints
• Strong SQL expertise; experience with data modeling for complex scientific or technical domains
• Familiarity with microservice architectures and containerization (Docker)
• Experience with real-time data processing and streaming infrastructure
• Solid understanding of authentication standards (OAuth, JWT)
• Competency in frontend tools like React and TypeScript for full-stack contributions
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

Preferred / Bonus Skills (Nice To Have):

• Experience with Next.js and other modern frontend frameworks
• Knowledge of NoSQL and vector databases used in AI applications
• Familiarity with real-time collaboration features (e.g., WebSockets)
• Hands-on experience with ML model serving (Triton, TensorFlow Serving)
• Familiarity with feature flag systems and A/B testing
• Background in life sciences or scientific computing
• Understanding of data provenance, lineage, and reproducibility
• Exposure to queuing systems like Kafka, RabbitMQ, or Redis Streams
• Contributions to open-source AI/ML projects

What Makes You A Great Fit:

• You love building fast, scalable, and reliable backend systems
• You understand the unique challenges of handling scientific data and AI workflows
• You take pride in writing clean, maintainable code that performs well under load
• You're experienced in designing APIs that serve both internal teams and external integrations
• You enjoy solving complex data processing and performance optimization challenges
• You have strong attention to detail for data integrity and security in scientific applications
• You communicate effectively with both technical teams and scientific researchers
• You’re proactive, collaborative, and focused on delivering practical, elegant solutions
• You’re curious about AI and excited to be part of shaping its role in healthcare and science

Contract To Hire & Work Environment:

• Initial contract period with path to full-time employment
• Competitive salary based on location
• Fully Remote - Required to work during US-based time frames
• Opportunity to shape the future of AI development

Full-Time Conversion Benefits (After Hire):

• Competitive salary and equity package
• 100% Employee Covered Medical, Dental, Vision Plan Base Plans (PPO & HMO)
• Life Insurance, 401k, Flexible Spending Accounts, & More

Company Description:

Based in Southern California, Salt AI is pioneering the future of life sciences with advanced AI. Founded in 2024 by Aber Whitcomb and Jim Benedetto—veterans of MySpace, Jam City, Gravity, and Core Scientific—our leadership team brings over 15 years of collaboration. We’re not just building products, but transforming what’s possible in research and discovery. We value diverse perspectives and are committed to an inclusive team. If you’re excited about shaping the future of AI in life sciences, we'd love to connect with you.