herondata - Principal Backend Engineer

• The best person for this role has likely spent 8+ years building and scaling backend systems, with at least a couple of meaningful "at-bats" taking a system from early stage to serious scale. You've probably worked in B2B SaaS and have opinions (earned the hard way) about how to build systems that are both reliable and fast to develop on. • More specifically: • You have a strong CS foundation and are deeply technical. You write code, review architectures, and debug production issues. • You've seen and built backend systems scale at companies growing from Series A to Series C+ (roughly $5M to $100M+ ARR). You know what breaks and when. • You have recent production experience with Python and cloud infrastructure. • You've dealt with sensitive data at volume: financial, health, or similarly regulated domains. • You're an IC at heart. You might set direction and mentor others, but you want to build, not manage. • You care about getting things right but also about shipping. We're a startup. Pragmatism matters. • WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AS A HERON • Competitive compensation, including equity • Based full-time in London or NYC, where most of the team is in-person multiple days per week • Your choice of top-of-the-line equipment to fit out your desk in the office • Occasional travel for retreats and to work with the team • Competitive benefits: health insurance; pension/401k; uncapped annual leave; parental leave • Free mental health support via Spill - on-demand access to therapy • Weekly company lunches (always inclusive and vegan-friendly - especially if you like Korean or Vietnamese food!) • Applicants from any background and gender are welcome and we have a zero tolerance policy on discrimination