# Software Engineer, Developer Platform **Company:** [Notion](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/notion) Join Notion's Developer Platform team as a Software Engineer to build foundational APIs, integration infrastructure, and extensibility tools that enable developers and admins to connect Notion to their entire technology ecosystem. This role combines backend and frontend TypeScript expertise with product instincts to design and scale platform systems that support millions of users, requiring 7+ years of production software experience and a passion for building robust, developer-friendly solutions in a collaborative AI workspace environment. **Role:** Backend Engineer **Seniority:** Senior **Locations:** San Francisco, California **Salary:** 213000–320000 USD [Apply](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/notion/1fc309c8-da20-4ff2-84c7-8b863ece2b0a) Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/jobs/notion/software-engineer-developer-platform --- ## Responsibilities - Design and Evolve Developer Platform APIs: Architect and maintain RESTful APIs, SDKs, and platform infrastructure that enable developers to build reliable integrations and automations on top of Notion. Ensure API design follows industry best practices for versioning, rate limiting, error handling, and developer experience. Collaborate with external developers through documentation, feedback, and iterative improvements to maximize adoption and satisfaction. - Develop Integration and Automation Infrastructure: Build backend systems and MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools that help customers connect Notion to external applications, data sources, and workflows. Design scalable, fault-tolerant infrastructure that handles asynchronous operations, webhooks, and real-time synchronization. Optimize performance to ensure integrations remain responsive as customer data volumes grow. - Drive End-to-End Feature Ownership: Own complete feature lifecycles from conception through research, technical design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. Work with cross-functional teams including product managers, designers, data scientists, and user researchers to define requirements, validate technical approaches, and iterate based on user feedback. Demonstrate strong judgment about scope management and technical tradeoffs. - Ensure Platform Performance, Reliability, and Scalability: Contribute to the overall robustness of Notion's platform by identifying performance bottlenecks, implementing optimizations, and establishing reliability standards. Implement comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerting to detect issues early. Design systems that scale elegantly across multiple dimensions including concurrent users, data volume, and geographic regions. - Execute High-Leverage Technical Investments: Partner with engineering leadership to identify and prioritize infrastructure improvements that ensure long-term flexibility and sustainability of core systems. Propose and execute against technical initiatives that reduce technical debt, improve developer productivity, and enable future platform capabilities. Balance immediate product needs with strategic technical foundations. - Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with engineering peers, platform teams, and external partners to align on technical standards, shared APIs, and integration patterns. Contribute to engineering culture by sharing knowledge, conducting code reviews, and mentoring junior engineers. Participate in cross-team initiatives that improve the developer experience across Notion's ecosystem. ## Requirements ### education - {"name":"Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related Field","description":"Formal education in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent practical experience demonstrating computer science fundamentals. While a degree is preferred, equivalent professional experience with demonstrated expertise is strongly considered."} ### technical - {"name":"TypeScript (Backend and Frontend)","description":"Fluent in TypeScript for both server-side and client-side development. Strong understanding of type systems, async patterns, and modern JavaScript runtime environments. Ability to write type-safe code that scales across large codebases and prevents common runtime errors."} - {"name":"API Design and Development","description":"Demonstrated experience designing and building production APIs that developers actively use. Knowledge of API versioning strategies, backwards compatibility, rate limiting, authentication/authorization mechanisms, and comprehensive API documentation practices."} - {"name":"Distributed Systems and Backend Architecture","description":"Understanding of distributed system concepts including consistency models, eventual consistency, load balancing, and fault tolerance. Experience building scalable backend systems that handle millions of requests and large data volumes while maintaining performance and reliability."} - {"name":"Database Design and Optimization","description":"Proficiency with relational and non-relational databases. Experience with query optimization, indexing strategies, data migration, and designing schemas that support evolving product requirements at scale."} - {"name":"End-to-End Feature Ownership","description":"Proven ability to own features from conception through shipping to production. Track record of delivering projects on schedule, managing scope, identifying and resolving blockers, and making sound technical decisions independently."} ### experience - {"name":"7+ Years Production Software Development","description":"Minimum seven years of professional experience shipping and maintaining production software systems. This includes experience with software design, implementation, testing, debugging, and supporting live systems serving real users at scale."} - {"name":"Full-Stack JavaScript/TypeScript Development","description":"Proven experience working across both backend and frontend TypeScript ecosystems. Ability to understand complete user workflows and make technical decisions that optimize the entire stack rather than isolated components."} - {"name":"Product Instincts and Scope Management","description":"Demonstrated ability to translate vague product requirements into clear technical approaches. Experience identifying when to build versus buy, when to cut scope, and balancing technical debt with feature velocity. Track record of making sound decisions with incomplete information."} - {"name":"Developer Platform or Integration Experience","description":"Prior experience building developer-facing tools, APIs, SDKs, or integration platforms. Understanding of developer experience, API usability, documentation best practices, and the challenges of building extensible systems."} ## Skills ### required - {"name":"TypeScript","description":"Expert-level TypeScript proficiency for backend and frontend development with deep understanding of type systems, async patterns, and modern runtime environments."} - {"name":"API Architecture and Design","description":"Strong ability to design scalable, developer-friendly APIs with proper versioning, error handling, rate limiting, and comprehensive documentation."} - {"name":"Backend Systems Design","description":"Proficiency designing distributed backend systems that scale reliably, handle millions of requests, and maintain data consistency and performance."} - {"name":"Software Engineering Best Practices","description":"Deep knowledge of code quality, testing strategies, code review, documentation, and deployment practices that ensure maintainable, reliable systems."} - {"name":"Problem Solving and Technical Decision Making","description":"Ability to evaluate complex tradeoffs, propose solid technical approaches, and communicate decisions clearly to stakeholders and team members."} ### preferred - {"name":"Developer Tools and SDK Development","description":"Experience building APIs, SDKs, or other developer-facing tools that prioritize developer experience, discoverability, and ease of use."} - {"name":"Leadership and Team Mentoring","description":"Track record of driving teams toward shared goals, balancing business priorities with individual growth, and mentoring junior engineers effectively."} - {"name":"AI and LLM Integration Experience","description":"Familiarity with AI tooling, agent frameworks, LLM evaluations, or building LLM-driven product experiences. Comfort adopting AI tools to enhance productivity and work quality."} - {"name":"Integration Platform Expertise","description":"Experience building integration platforms, managing third-party APIs, or designing webhook and event-driven systems for extensibility."} - {"name":"Performance and Scalability Optimization","description":"Proven experience identifying bottlenecks, implementing database optimizations, and designing systems that perform efficiently at massive scale."} - {"name":"Product Collaboration","description":"Experience working cross-functionally with product managers, designers, and data teams to define requirements and validate technical approaches through user research."} ## Tech stack ### tools - {"name":"Git and GitHub","description":"Version control and collaborative code management across distributed teams."} - {"name":"Docker","description":"Containerization for consistent development, testing, and production deployment environments."} - {"name":"Kubernetes","description":"Container orchestration for managing scalable, reliable microservices deployments."} - {"name":"AWS","description":"Cloud infrastructure platform for compute, storage, networking, and other cloud services."} ### others - {"name":"REST APIs","description":"Standard architectural approach for building scalable, developer-friendly web services and integrations."} - {"name":"MCP (Model Context Protocol)","description":"Protocol for integrating AI models and agents into Notion's platform, enabling advanced automation and integration capabilities."} - {"name":"WebSockets","description":"Real-time bidirectional communication for live collaboration features and instant data synchronization."} - {"name":"Event-Driven Architecture","description":"Asynchronous event processing for webhooks, integrations, and scalable system communication."} ### databases - {"name":"PostgreSQL","description":"Primary relational database for transactional data, user accounts, and core business logic with ACID guarantees."} - {"name":"Redis","description":"In-memory data store used for caching, session management, and real-time features to optimize performance."} ### languages - {"name":"TypeScript","description":"Primary language for both backend and frontend development across the Notion platform. Deep expertise in type systems and async programming patterns required."} - {"name":"JavaScript","description":"Used throughout the stack for Node.js backend services and frontend client applications."} ### frameworks - {"name":"React","description":"Frontend framework used for building user interfaces and developer-facing dashboard applications."} - {"name":"Node.js","description":"Runtime environment for backend services and API servers serving millions of requests daily."} ## Benefits ### benefits - {"name":"Highly Competitive Cash Compensation","description":"Industry-leading base salary with transparent range and additional adjustment factors based on location, role scope, and individual expertise."} - {"name":"Equity and Stock Options","description":"Meaningful equity grants that align your interests with the company's long-term success and growth trajectory."} - {"name":"Comprehensive Health and Wellness Benefits","description":"Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage to support your overall health and wellbeing."} - {"name":"Flexible Work Arrangements","description":"Anchor Days policy with office presence on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays in San Francisco or New York City, providing a balance between in-person collaboration and flexibility."} - {"name":"Professional Development and Growth","description":"Opportunities to work on high-impact technical problems, mentor junior engineers, and develop leadership skills within a fast-growing technology company."} - {"name":"Collaborative Team Environment","description":"Work alongside talented engineers and cross-functional partners in product, design, data science, and user research committed to building the future of work."} ## Compensation - **max:** 320000 - **min:** 213000 - **currency:** USD - **stockOptions:** true ## Interview process ### steps - {"name":"Initial Recruiter Screening","description":"Phone or video call with a recruiter to discuss your background, experience with TypeScript and APIs, and alignment with the Developer Platform team's mission. This conversation validates core experience requirements and cultural fit."} - {"name":"Technical Phone Screen","description":"Conversation with a senior engineer from the Developer Platform team focused on assessing system design thinking, API architecture knowledge, and your approach to solving distributed systems problems. Expect discussions around scalability, reliability, and technical decision-making."} - {"name":"Technical Coding and Design Interview","description":"Virtual interview testing your problem-solving abilities through a combination of coding exercises and system design questions. You may be asked to implement backend logic, design database schemas, or architect distributed systems at scale."} - {"name":"Product and Collaboration Interview","description":"Conversation focused on product instincts, cross-functional collaboration, and scope management. Expect questions about how you've handled ambiguous requirements, worked with product and design teams, and made technical tradeoffs."} - {"name":"Engineering Leadership Discussion","description":"Roundtable conversation with multiple engineers from Notion about technical vision, architectural decisions, and how you think about building systems that scale. This is an opportunity to discuss your approach to long-term technical investments and platform reliability."} - {"name":"Final Offer and Negotiation","description":"Once selected, you'll receive an offer including base salary (within the $213,000 - $320,000 range for SF/NYC), equity grants, and benefits. Notion values negotiation and considers factors like experience, expertise, and market conditions."} ## Full description # Who We Are Notion is the collaborative AI workspace where teams and agents [think together](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkpYpWfEK5s). We're building one place where your knowledge, projects, meetings, and AI tools live side by side, so work is faster, clearer, and less fragmented. Millions of individuals, small teams, and large companies run their work on Notion. Notinos (our employees) are customer zero in bringing this future of work to life. We care about craft, building things that last, and the belief that great work is still fundamentally human. Our goal isn’t to ship the next feature. Each and every team of Notinos is working to set the standard for how humans work together in the AI era. From building a business’s system of record to making and managing AI agents to automating away the busy work, we care deeply about giving our customers more time for their life’s work. # About the Role: As a [Developer Platform](https://www.notion.com/product/dev) engineer, you will directly contribute to the foundational pieces that make Notion extensible and connected. You will build tools, APIs, and platform experiences that help customers connect Notion to the world — bringing their apps, data, and workflows into one workspace. Your work will make it easier for developers, admins, and builders to create reliable integrations and automations on top of Notion. You will be a key player in building the robust technical foundation that allows Notion to achieve the connected workspace vision. Your work will include both internal platform contributions that accelerate other Notion engineering teams and end-user-facing functionality that enables toolmaking ubiquity. You will be presented with challenging technical problems, as Notion’s product needs are complex. You’ll play a key role in identifying and executing against technical investments that ensure the long-term quality, reliability, and performance of Notion’s platform as we scale. This role can be based in either San Francisco or New York City. We work from our offices on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (our Anchor Days) because we do our best thinking and building together in person. We’re looking for someone who’s excited to work alongside the team during those days. # What You'll Achieve: * You’ll work with a team of engineers and cross-functional partners across product, design, data science, and user research to define a product strategy and drive execution through conception, research, implementation, and maintenance. * You’ll evolve Developer Platform capabilities across APIs, MCP tools, and integration infrastructure that help customers automate workflows, customize Notion, and connect Notion to the tools and data they use every day. * You’ll contribute to the overall performance, reliability, and robustness of the Notion product, ensuring it scales elegantly across many dimensions. * You’ll partner with engineering leaders to identify and execute against high-leverage technical investments that ensure the long-term flexibility and sustainability of our core systems. # Skills You'll Need to Bring: * 7+ years of experience shipping production software, with a strong track record of owning features end-to-end * Fluency with TypeScript across both backend and frontend * Strong product instincts: you can take a vague problem, propose a solid technical approach, and know when to cut scope * You don’t need to be an AI expert, but you’re curious and willing to adopt AI tools to work smarter and deliver better results # Nice to Haves: * Experience building developer tools like APIs and SDKs * Experience driving teams toward shared goals and balancing business priorities with individuals’ strengths, areas of interest, and career development goals * Familiarity with AI/agent tooling, evals, or LLM-driven product experiences Notion is committed to providing highly competitive cash compensation, equity, and benefits. The compensation offered for this role will be based on multiple factors such as location, the role’s scope and complexity, and the candidate’s experience and expertise, and may vary from the range provided below. For roles based in San Francisco or New York City, the estimated base salary range for this role is $213,000 - $320,000 per year. By clicking “Submit Application”, I understand and agree that Notion and its affiliates and subsidiaries will collect and process my information in accordance with Notion’s [Global Recruiting Privacy Policy](https://notion.notion.site/Notion-Global-Recruiting-Privacy-Policy-fc3eb4e829354a26a2bb6fd5e289b550?pvs=74) and [NYLL 144](https://notion.notion.site/Ashby-AI-Bias-Audit-2b0efdeead05803bbbfae159ec86c528). #LI-Onsite # A Note on AI You don’t need deep AI expertise for every role, but we do expect every Notino to be intellectually curious, drawn to tinkering and discovery, and excited to use AI as a real collaborator in their work. For some roles, AI fluency is a core requirement — when that’s the case, we'll say so explicitly in the qualifications. People who thrive here don’t treat AI as a novelty. They use it to think better, and make their work easier for others to build on. # Equal Opportunity & Accommodations We hire talented people from a wide range of backgrounds. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every bullet, we still encourage you to apply. Notion is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected characteristic. Consistent with applicable law, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Notion provides reasonable accommodations during the application process; if you need one, please let your recruiter know. Notion is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Notion considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Notion is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.