Job description

ABOUT US We're living through a fundamental shift in how people discover, evaluate, and purchase products. The next generation doesn't respond to traditional marketing -- they build relationships with brands through authentic social interactions, seek recommendations from communities they trust, and expect personalized experiences that feel human, not corporate. At Nectar, we're building the AI-native social operating system that enables this new era of commerce. We believe every social interaction should deepen the relationship between brands and their communities while creating genuine value for both sides. Founded by ex-Meta product and engineering leaders, we've raised over $30M in total capital from investors including GV and True Ventures. We work with brands like Oura Health, Caraway, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Kosas, OLIPOP, and many more. We're building the future of social commerce -- where community, conversation, and commerce converge. THE ROLE We're looking for a software engineer to help architect and scale the core systems that power Nectar's platform. You'll work on the infrastructure that ingests, processes, and analyzes large volumes of social data while enabling AI agents to operate on that data in real time. This role combines deep technical execution with architectural leadership. You'll help define how our systems evolve as we scale customers, data volume, and product capabilities. WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING - Architect and scale the core systems that ingest and process large volumes of social data from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, and LinkedIn - Design data pipelines that power AI agents and real-time analytics used by our customers - Lead major technical decisions across the platform, writing design docs and establishing scalable architecture patterns - Improve reliability, performance, and cost efficiency across our data and AI infrastructure as the platform scales - Mentor engineers and review system designs and code to help raise the engineering bar across the team - Work closely with product and engineering leadership to solve complex technical problems and deliver impactful systems WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - 5+ years of experience building and operating production software systems - Strong experience designing and scaling distributed systems, data infrastructure, or complex production platforms - Proven ability to architect systems and drive major technical decisions - Experience mentoring engineers and influencing engineering direction - Comfortable operating in fast-moving startup environments with high ownership and autonomy - Strong product intuition and ability to collaborate closely with product and design teams - Interest in AI-native engineering workflows and how AI is transforming software development BONUS POINTS - Startup experience building early-stage or rapidly scaling products - Experience working with large-scale data pipelines or real-time analytics systems - Familiarity with modern infrastructure and developer tooling such as AWS, Pulumi, Postgres, ClickHouse, or similar technologies - Experience integrating AI or machine learning systems into production platforms WHAT WE OFFER - Competitive compensation and early equity - Health, vision, and dental benefits + 401(k) match - ClassPass membership for fitness and wellness classes - Hybrid schedule: 4 days in office, plus 3 remote flex days per quarter (after your first 3 months) - Comprehensive stipends: $1,000/month housing stipend for living near the office, $50/month mobile stipend, and commuter benefits (train stipend or Palo Alto parking reimbursement) - Free lunch in the heart of University Ave. in Palo Alto - Clear career growth opportunities as the company scales

Requirements

Must-haves

This role combines deep technical execution with architectural leadership. You'll help define how our systems evolve as we scale customers, data volume, and product capabilities.
Architect and scale the core systems that ingest and process large volumes of social data from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, and LinkedIn
Design data pipelines that power AI agents and real-time analytics used by our customers
Lead major technical decisions across the platform, writing design docs and establishing scalable architecture patterns
Improve reliability, performance, and cost efficiency across our data and AI infrastructure as the platform scales
Mentor engineers and review system designs and code to help raise the engineering bar across the team
Work closely with product and engineering leadership to solve complex technical problems and deliver impactful systems
5+ years of experience building and operating production software systems
Strong experience designing and scaling distributed systems, data infrastructure, or complex production platforms
Proven ability to architect systems and drive major technical decisions
Experience mentoring engineers and influencing engineering direction
Comfortable operating in fast-moving startup environments with high ownership and autonomy
Strong product intuition and ability to collaborate closely with product and design teams
Interest in AI-native engineering workflows and how AI is transforming software development

Nice-to-haves

Startup experience building early-stage or rapidly scaling products
Experience working with large-scale data pipelines or real-time analytics systems
Familiarity with modern infrastructure and developer tooling such as AWS, Pulumi, Postgres, ClickHouse, or similar technologies
Experience integrating AI or machine learning systems into production platforms

Application prep

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Keywords to mirror

aiawspostgresmachine learning

Platform: ashby
Effort: quick

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401(K)

Wellness