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Think about the last time you tried to book a tennis court. Or sign your kid up for a swim lesson. Or find an open rec league that actually fits your schedule. You probably ended up on a website that looked like it was built in 2003 — or god forbid, filled out a piece of paper.
$3T is spent on recreation globally, and it's built on a completely fragmented system that's largely untouched by technology.
At Rec (recreation.ai), we're using AI to change that — reimagining how the world plays, participates in community, and gets active. Our vision is simple: more recreation for everyone. We sit at a rare intersection — a consumer product loved by everyday players and an enterprise platform trusted by the organizations that power recreation.
We're a small team with firepower. Our founders were among the first few hundred at Uber, then led teams at The Athletic and MasterClass. The rest of the team combines builders from Google, Microsoft, Strava, Hipcamp, and Airbnb.
People join Rec for two reasons: you want to build AI that gets people back in the real world, and you want to work with really smart people.
About The RoleThis is not a seat-filling role. We're a Series A company in scaling mode, adding new partners and users every day, and every engineer we hire shapes what Rec becomes.
As a senior engineer, you'll own meaningful surface area across our product. That might mean facility management (reservations, permitting, invoicing), program management (camps, classes, lessons, eligibility), or payments and platform (payments, financial transactions, accounting, reporting). Wherever you land, you'll work end to end, from consumer-facing booking flows, to staff tools for coaches and administrators, to the systems that keep parks humming behind the scenes.
You'll make architectural decisions, influence the roadmap, and help us build something the recreation industry has been waiting decades for.
What You'll OwnPartner closely with Engineering, Product, Design, and Partner Success to shape strategy and drive products from idea to launch, and beyond.
Build and maintain the core platform powering everything from booking experiences to staff tools to municipal dashboards.
Write clean, reliable, maintainable code. Elevate the bar through thoughtful reviews and technical mentorship.
Use AI tools fluently across your workflow, from scaffolding and code review to debugging production issues and analyzing data.
Invest in the foundation. Make smart, forward-thinking decisions that keep our platform nimble and scalable as we grow.
5+ years of experience building software in collaborative environments.
You're fired up by the mission. We work hard because recreation matters to families, coaches, and kids across the country. We also ski, hike, and get outside. We're building for recreation, after all.
AI fluency is non-negotiable. You already use AI tools daily and have real judgment about when to trust them, when to verify, and when to override. If AI tools aren't yet core to how you work, this role will be a rough fit.
You ship with quality. Fast, clean, and proud, but never careless. Every customer transaction matters to us: a missed swim lesson registration, a double-booked court, a failed payment. Reliability is the baseline.
Product judgment is part of the job. You don't just follow orders. You think critically about what to build, what to defer, and what to push back on. You ask "should we?" before "how do we?"
You thrive in ambiguity. Early-stage problems are rarely well-defined. You bring order without over-engineering, and you know the difference between clarifying a spec and getting stuck on one.
You work like a partner, not just a coder. You think end-to-end alongside Product, Design, and Partner Success.
You communicate clearly, candidly, and constructively. Strong opinions, loosely held, with a bias toward what works.
Frontend: Next.js (hosted on Vercel), React, TypeScript
Backend: Node.js, Koa, Objection.js, PostgreSQL
Infra & Ops: AWS, Temporal, Twilio
AI & Tooling: AI proficiency is mandatory here, not optional. Every engineer uses AI tools daily, for code generation and review, for operational work via MCP servers and tool use, and for data analysis. We expect you to already be fluent with tools like Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent, and to have strong judgment about when to lean on AI and when to override it.
Be Relentless. Move fast. Own it. Ship real value early and often.
Win Together. Speak up, go beyond the boundaries of your role. That's how we win.
Take Pride. Treat this like it's yours — because it is.
Compensation: $150,000–$200,000 base + meaningful equity (final offer will be based on your background, experience and skillset)
Benefits: Flexible PTO, top-tier health/dental/vision, and a 401(k) plan to support your future.
Work location: San Francisco — in-office most days at our FiDi SF office.
Skills Required
- 5+ years of experience building software in collaborative environments
What We Do
Rec is building the operating system for the activity economy. Every day, millions of people look for ways to play, learn, move, compete, and connect in their communities. Yet the technology powering recreation has been largely ignored for decades. Our platform is modernizing the $105B activity industry, powering registrations, facility reservations, instructor marketplaces, payments, permits, and operations for cities and recreation organizations across the country. While much of the tech industry is focused on capturing attention, we're focused on creating more opportunities for people to spend time away from screens via more youth sports, more recreation classes, more community events, and more ways to stay active and connected.
Why Work With Us
We're applying Silicon Valley talent and AI innovation to one of the largest, least-modernized industries in the world to create more play, movement and connection in the real world. If you get fired up by making tech that actually matters to families, coaches, and kids all over the country, come join us.
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