Backend / Future AI Lead Engineer - Torch Systems (Bay Area)
About Torch
Torch is building the most accurate outdoor wildfire detection system in the world - a network of advanced IoT sensors and AI models that save lives, protect communities, and prevent billions in damage. We’re a small but high-performing team, backed by top-tier investors, with real deployments protecting critical infrastructure across California.
We’re looking for a Bay Area-based Backend Engineer who can immediately take ownership of our backend stack — and, over time, grow into our Lead AI Engineer as we scale our data pipeline, ML models, and real-time alerting systems. This is an opportunity to be at the intersection of climate tech, AI, and mission-critical hardware.
What You’ll Do
• Own and maintain our backend systems from day one.
• Develop APIs and services in Node.js (Fastify or similar frameworks).
• Manage deployments using Docker and Linux .
• Design and maintain scalable REST APIs with proper documentation in Swagger .
• Collaborate with our hardware and frontend teams to ensure seamless data flow.
• Work with massive real-world sensor datasets to prepare for AI/ML pipelines.
• Stay ahead of AI trends and help transition Torch into a data + AI powerhouse.
Tech Stack & Requirements
JavaScript / Node.js — 3+ years professional experience (5+ years if aiming for Lead).
• Strong experience with Docker , Linux server management.
• Fastify or other Node.js framework expertise.
• REST API design and implementation.
• Swagger (OpenAPI) documentation experience.
• Bonus: Familiarity with AI/ML tools (PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, etc.).
• Located in the San Francisco Bay Area (on-site collaboration preferred).
You Are
• A builder who thrives in early-stage environments.
• Comfortable switching between backend work and AI/ML experimentation.
• Energized by ownership — you see problems, you solve them.
• Excited by the mission of protecting people and infrastructure from wildfires.
Why Torch
• Mission with real-world impact.
• Significant ownership of your work.
• Small, elite team backed by top-tier VCs.
• Path to becoming Lead AI Engineer as we scale our data and AI stack.