Senior Backend Engineer

At Halter, we’re on a mission to enable farmers and graziers to run the most productive and sustainable operations. Our customers are using Halter to break free from the time-intensive constraints of conventional practices. Imagine watching 500 cattle stand up and walk calmly towards their next break? No quad bikes, no dogs, no fences. Just a group of cattle walking at their own pace. People say it looks like magic. Our customers are revolutionizing grazing with Halter. It's changing lives and transforming an industry. People join Halter to do meaningful work. By joining us you’ll be solving challenging problems within a talented team and a culture built for high performance. Our team out-think, out-work and out-care. We’re committed to delivering real change in the world - this isn’t easy, and in truth, we love that it’s hard.

We’re backed to deliver on a mission that matters by Tier 1 investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, BOND, DCVC, Blackbird, Promus Ventures, Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Icehouse ventures.

To find out more, visit our LinkedIn & Instagram.

At Halter, we know how much farmers care - for their animals and their pasture. But the tools they rely on haven’t kept up, and we’re on a mission to change that. Halter helps farmers make smarter decisions - fast. We reckon good pasture management is the key to more productive and sustainable farms. More grass. Healthier soil. Happier animals. And more time back for the people doing the work.

We’re looking for an epic backend engineer with a product-obsessed mindset - someone who cares about what we build and why. This is a rare chance to solve hard problems no one’s tackled before.As a senior, you’ll be a key contributor, shaping the services that power everything from our mobile and web apps to our devices and data pipelines. You’ll write clean, reliable code that makes a real difference. We’re embracing what AI means for how we build and operate - and you’ll help us do that well. You’ll be hands-on and collaborative: shipping features, improving performance, and shaping how we work. We care about how you think and act - curious, thoughtful, practical, and someone who takes absolute ownership.

• Contribute to the design and delivery of scalable, secure, and reliable backend systems.

• Contribute to smart architectural calls on services, APIs, data models, and infrastructure.

• Work closely with frontend, hardware, data, and product to ship high-impact features quickly.

• Apply AI tools (like Claude Code or Cursor) to improve team velocity while keeping systems easy to understand and evolve.

• Maintain the standard for thoughtful backend engineering - clean, observable, and easy to evolve.

• Support and mentor other engineers through design conversations, code reviews, and generous context sharing.Stay hands-on - helping shape the product, not just the code.

• Contribute to the reliability and performance of our systems - especially when things get tricky.

• Help evolve our testing strategies, CI/CD workflows, and infrastructure patterns.

• You’ll contribute to setting the pace and quality bar for backend engineering at Halter.

• Have designed and delivered complex backend systems in production and have the experience (and scars) to show for it.

• Bring deep technical expertise, but are happy to use the right tool for the job.

• Think like a product engineer: you care about the customer experience, not just clean code, and have the experience to back this.

• Know how to use AI tools well - not just as shortcuts, but to lift team output and focus on the harder stuff.Have experience supporting and mentoring other engineers to do their best work.

• Understand how to build and scale REST APIs, distributed systems, and event-driven services.

• Are comfortable with both relational and non-relational databases.

• Have worked in cloud environments - AWS is a bonus.

• Are comfortable in fast-moving, ambiguous environments where adaptability beats perfection. We work hard.

• Ideally have experience with Node.js, Go, or systems that integrate with hardware or IoT.A degree in software engineering (or equivalent) is nice to have, but not essential.

• Delicious snacks and drinks are available for your daily flow.

• Healthy body, healthy mind. We’re partnered with Southern Cross Health Insurance to support your well-being.

• We offer 6 months of fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers, 4 weeks of fully paid secondary caregiver leave and many other parental benefits that support you and your family.

• Our personal growth is important. Halter offers an annual $1000 self-development budget to be used for anything that fuels personal growth.

• Our time to recharge is valued, we’re offered wellness leave and unlimited paid annual leave.

• Importantly, we offer an inclusive and attractive remuneration package made up of salary, benefits and an employee stock ownership plan.

There’s a reason you visit your friends in person, live with your family and don’t do dinners over Zoom. Humans are wired for connection. We believe a world-class, in-person office culture is the best way for high-performing teams.
Being office first is a core pillar of our culture. We believe in-person connections are key to driving your own growth, learning, impact, and building genuine long-lasting relationships. Strong relationships make it easier to disagree, give feedback, and do meaningful and aligned work. We don’t like having heaps of rules or policies, but this means having strong, trusted relationships is critical.
We’re office first, not office only. This means working from the office everyday is our default setting, but we flex when we need to. We have a high-trust culture, so everyone is trusted to do what’s best for Halter.
Our office vibe is something special, it’s hard to describe until you’re here, but people at Halter who have come from fully remote or hybrid companies say they could never go back - the high energy and spectacular people they are now surrounded by everyday makes work so enjoyable. Your growth, your learning and your impact is truly unlimited here, and a big part of that comes from being together solving problems, innovating, building context, and constantly learning from each other.

Halter is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace — a place where we can each be ourselves and do the best work of our lives. Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the requirements, women and under-represented groups of candidates tend to only apply when they meet every requirement. If you think you have what it takes but don’t necessarily tick every requirement on this job description, please still get in touch and apply to Halter. We’d love to chat to see if you’ll be an epic fit!

If this opportunity sounds like you, please apply below by sending through your cover letter explaining why you’re excited about this role and working at Halter, along with your CV, and we’ll be in touch!

Please also feel free to check out the careers page for more information on working at Halter and don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram.

• Work that genuinely matters. Every now and again a company comes along that transforms an entire industry and leaves the world in a better place. Our team gets to be part of something truly meaningful, helping farmers improve their livelihoods, spend more time with their families, and build more sustainable operations.

• Spectacular people solving hard problems. Our culture is designed for talented people to do work that changes lives. The team is filled with diverse, kind, and driven people who push each other to do their best work. You'll be thrown into the deep end, tackling complex challenges and building something tangible that solves real problems.

• You'll grow here. Autonomy, mastery, and learning define how we work. You'll have the freedom to work on interesting problems, master new skills, and continuously develop yourself, both through your role and our $1,000 personal growth fund.

• This isn't easy, and we love that it's hard. Working at Halter will be the most rewarding and the most challenging work of your life. We move fast, take bold bets, and work hard to reshape an entire industry. As one team member put it: "Joining Halter is a bit like strapping yourself to a rocket ship, but it's an epic journey to be a part of!"