Backend Engineer / Tech Lead

About The Company Tamber is an AI-powered assistant built for musicians, designed to streamline workflows and enhance creativity by handling repetitive tasks. We believe AI should assist artists—not replace them—so musicians can focus on making music rather than getting lost in technical processes. Tamber supports everything from songwriting and arrangement to production, DAW control, and intelligent music discovery. Built by musicians, for musicians, Tamber lowers the barrier to entry for new artists while equipping professionals with tools to work faster, stay inspired, and maintain full creative control. About The Role Tamber is hiring a Backend Engineer / Tech Lead to build and scale our backend infrastructure for AI-powered music tools. This is a hands-on engineering leadership role responsible for backend architecture, cloud infrastructure, real-time systems, security, and ML model deployment. As the first backend hire and technical leader, you’ll work closely with the Founder & CEO, frontend engineer, and AI/ML engineer to develop next-generation tools for music production and discovery. You’ll set the foundation for Tamber’s backend by making key decisions on scalability, security, and performance while delivering an exceptional experience to musicians. This opportunity is ideal for an experienced software engineer who thrives in a fast-paced startup environment, enjoys coding and leadership, and is passionate about building AI-powered music technology. What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend systems for AI-driven music creation and discovery
• Architect APIs and backend services for real-time processing, data storage, and AI inference
• Lead backend engineering while actively writing high-quality, production-ready code
• Develop and manage cloud infrastructure (AWS EC2, Firebase, Docker, Kubernetes)
• Implement security best practices (OAuth, JWT, IAM policies) to protect user data
• Optimize and deploy AI/ML models into production
• Build real-time systems using WebSockets, event-driven architectures, and message queues
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, design, and product teams
• Establish best engineering practices and foster a high-performance development culture

What You Bring

• 7+ years of experience in software engineering with a focus on backend development
• 3+ years of technical leadership experience
• Proficient in Python and/or Node.js
• Experience with cloud platforms like AWS EC2, Firebase, or similar
• Strong API design and database knowledge (PostgreSQL, Redis)
• Experience with real-time systems (WebSockets, Kafka, RabbitMQ, etc.)
• Solid understanding of security principles (OAuth, JWT, IAM, etc.)
• Familiarity with AI/ML model deployment and inference optimization
• Experience designing and scaling microservices architecture
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work independently
• Passion for music technology is a plus

Bonus Points

• Experience with AI-driven applications, multimodal models, or ML pipelines
• Background in the music tech industry (DAWs, MIDI, audio processing)
• Strong DevOps skills (CI/CD, observability, Terraform)
• Experience with infrastructure migration (e.g., Firebase to AWS)

What’s In It For You

• Shape the Future of Music: Direct impact on redefining how artists create and discover music
• High Autonomy & Ownership: Set the backend direction and make key decisions as a foundational team member
• Competitive Compensation & Equity: $185,000–$210,000 salary based on experience; meaningful equity available
• Remote-First Culture: Work from anywhere with a collaborative and transparent team
• Build Cutting-Edge Tech: Work at the intersection of AI, music, and creative tools

Equal Opportunity Tamber is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We value diverse perspectives and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.