Twenty
national security
StaffBackendEngineer
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Senior candidates.
“Staff Backend Engineer at Twenty. Skills: Backend systems design and architecture, Distributed systems, Real-time data processing, Cloud-native development, Security. Design and build backend systems that turn real-time operational data into mission-critical capabilities. Own core services that need to be fast, reliable, and secure—operating across cloud and on-prem environments”
What You'll Achieve.
Deliver game-changing outcomes that directly impact national security; Turn real-time operational data into mission-critical capabilities; Ship systems that work under real-world constraints; Deliver rapid, secure delivery; Drive durable fixes
Industry & Context.
Solve problems; Troubleshoot complex production issues
Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U. S. Government security clearance, May involve work in a controlled environment
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
10+ years building scalable backend systems in production environments, 4+ years of experience in Golang, or 4+ years writing server-side business logic in an object-oriented language (Java, Kotlin, C#, Python) or systems language (C, C++, Rust) with system design aptitude, Led technical initiatives end-to-end, including architecture, execution, and delivery, Experience designing distributed systems (e.g., event-driven architectures, messaging, consistency tradeoffs), Built cloud-native services and operated them in production (AWS preferred), Security fundamentals: secure coding, threat modeling, and defensible design choices, Track record mentoring engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, and feedback, Communication skills and can align teams around clear technical decisions
Nice to Have
Experience designing data models and queries in graph databases (e.g., Neo4j, AWS Neptune), Used relational databases (ex: Postgres, MySQL, or MariaDB) to solve business problems and are able to reason about query performance, Worked on defense, intelligence, or security-focused products with real operational users, Shipped large-scale data processing systems (streaming, near-real-time analytics, or similar), Integrated ML/AI capabilities into production systems in a practical, measurable way, Open-source contributions or personal projects that demonstrate engineering craft
What You'll Do.
Design and build backend systems that turn real-time operational data into mission-critical capabilities
Own core services that need to be fast
and secure—operating across cloud and on-prem environments
Make high-leverage architecture decisions
Drive technical execution
Raise the bar through mentorship and engineering standards
Partner closely with product
and frontend teams to ship systems that work under real-world constraints
Architect and build high-throughput backend services that process real-time operational data
Lead technical design reviews and choose pragmatic approaches for new features and system improvements
Design event-driven and distributed systems that are resilient
and performance-tuned
Define stable APIs for internal and external consumers
partnering with frontend for seamless integration
Improve engineering excellence through code reviews
and incident practices
Build and maintain CI/CD workflows that enable rapid
Troubleshoot complex production issues
lead incident response
and drive durable fixes
Partner with product and operational stakeholders to translate needs into deliverable technical plans
Contribute to technical strategy and roadmap planning across backend services
Support hiring by participating in interviews and helping define what “great” looks like
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Partner closely with product, operations, and frontend teams; Define stable APIs for internal and external consumers, partnering with frontend for seamless integration; Partner with product and operational stakeholders to translate needs into deliverable technical plans; Align teams around clear technical decisions
Communication Scope
Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical partners; Communication skills and can align teams around clear technical decisions
Process & Methodology
Push projects from ambiguous problem to shipped, measured capability, Lead technical initiatives end-to-end, Translate needs into deliverable technical plans
Full Job Description
ABOUT THE COMPANY At Twenty, we're taking on one of the most critical challenges of our time: defending democracies in the digital age. We develop revolutionary technologies that operate at the intersection of the cyber and electromagnetic domains, where the speed of operations exceeds human sensing and complexity transcends conventional boundaries. Our team doesn't just solve problems – we deliver game-changing outcomes that directly impact national security. We're pragmatic optimists who understand that while our mission of protecting America and its allies is challenging, success is possible. ROLE SUMMARY You’ll design and build backend systems that turn real-time operational data into mission-critical capabilities. This role owns core services that need to be fast, reliable, and secure—operating across cloud and on-prem environments. You’ll make high-leverage architecture decisions, drive technical execution, and raise the bar through mentorship and engineering standards. You’ll partner closely with product, operations, and frontend teams to ship systems that work under real-world constraints. WHO YOU ARE - You’re motivated by high-stakes, real-world outcomes—especially in national security and cyber operations. - You take ownership: you push projects from ambiguous problem to shipped, measured capability. - You bring calm, high-judgment leadership during incidents, tradeoff discussions, and tight timelines. - You hold a high bar for reliability, security, and maintainability—and you help others meet it. - You communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical partners. - You prefer simple, scalable designs and know when complexity is justified. - You enjoy mentoring and leveling up engineers through feedback, pairing, and strong technical direction. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Architect and build high-throughput backend services that process real-time operational data. - Lead technical design reviews and choose pragmatic approaches for new features and system impro
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