Senior Software Engineer

About Karius

Karius is a venture-backed life science startup that is transforming the way pathogens and other microbes are observed throughout the body. By unlocking the information present in microbial cell-free DNA, we're helping doctors quickly solve their most challenging cases, providing industry partners with access to 1000’s of biomarkers to accelerate clinical trials, discovering new microbes, and reducing patient suffering worldwide. 

Position Summary

As a Senior Software Engineer in the Karius Engineering team, your primary focus will be designing, developing and maintaining the backend, frontend software and infrastructure to execute Karius Lab Diagnostics software in commercial and research setup.This role requires strong problem-solving skills and deep technical expertise. We are building and operating a unique software stack of microservices deployed to a cloud infrastructure, APIs, web and mobile interactive interfaces, and AI-driven data analytics pipelines to deliver life-saving results in the highly complex infectious disease landscape. We believe the success of Karius’ products is driven by both our unique technology and the elegance of the software solution. We seek talented and passionate individuals who want to be part of this impactful journey of reaching the team’s ambitious goals, far beyond what any single individual could accomplish.

Why Should You Join Us?

Karius aims to conquer infectious diseases through innovations around genomic sequencing and machine learning. The company’s platform is already delivering unprecedented insights into the microbial landscape, providing clinicians with a comprehensive test capable of identifying more than a thousand pathogens directly from blood, and helping industry accelerate the development of therapeutic solutions. The Karius test we provide today is one of the most advanced solutions available to physicians who aim to deliver better care to many otherwise ineffectively treated patients. Our test is the result of some incredible work done by our scientists, statisticians, engineers, and physicians, all driven by the same mission. You, as part of the Karius team, will be able to see how directly your work has a life-changing impact on people, and at scale.

Reports to: Sr. Director of Software Engineering

*This position is not open to agency support at this time. Agencies, please contact [email protected] and not the hiring manager for inquiries.

Location: Redwood City, CA (Hybrid) or Remote (USA)

Primary Responsibilities 

• Software Design: Follow Domain Driven Design to clearly document the backend services design and the interfaces

• Software Development: Design, develop, maintain and write high-quality, maintainable, and scalable code using modern software engineering best practices. Participate in code reviews, test-driven development, and continuous integration to ensure the delivery of high-performance applications.

• Code Quality and Best Practices: Ensure adherence to best coding practices, identify opportunities and propose process and tools improvements. Conduct thorough code review, provide feedback to peers, and ensure code quality as indicated in “Code Quality and Best Practices.” 

• Testing & Deployment: Develop and maintain unit, integration, and functional tests, contributing to a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) environment.

• Innovation & Problem Solving: Proactively identify technical challenges and recommend innovative solutions to ensure the development of cutting-edge software applications that meet the company’s evolving needs.

• Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams (product, operations, customer success) to align engineering efforts with business goals and end-to-end solutions..

• Problem-solving and Debugging: Troubleshooting to resolve complex technical issues and identify long-term solutions.

• Documentation: Ensure comprehensive documentation of system designs, codebases and development processes to maintain clarity and transparency across teams.

• Performance Optimization: Ensure system reliability and performance through proper monitoring, tuning, and optimization of the codebase.

What’s Fun About the Job?

Karius is operating at the edge of what is now known to be possible in infectious disease diagnostics. With that, comes a wave of new and incredible challenges and opportunities. To deliver on that value, you will be tapping into some of the most advanced technologies, architecting and innovating where the current solutions simply don't suffice. You will get to see how much your work really matters. 

Travel: Travel is required up to 10% of the time if the candidate is remote, up to four times a year. Onsite presence of about 2 weeks during onboarding is highly recommended.

Physical Requirements 

Subject to extended periods of sitting and/or standing, vision to monitor and moderate noise levels. Work is generally performed in an office environment. 

Position Requirements

• BS or MS degree in Computer Science, or related technical fields involving algorithms and coding, with at least three years in a senior role. Experience in life sciences or healthcare is a plus

• 7+ years of software engineering experience, including designing, developing, and maintaining backend solutions in a production environment 

• 6+ years of hands-on experience designing, building, and maintaining microservices-based systems.

• 6+ years of hands-on experience with event-driven architecture (EDA), including message brokers (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ, AWS SNS/SQS) and event streaming technologies.

• 5+ years of experience and deep knowledge of Typescript/javaScript backend stack using frameworks such as Express, Nest.js, and Node.js.

• Ability to design systems with asynchronous communication and eventual consistency.

• Hands-on experience deploying and managing applications in cloud environments (AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure).

• Deep knowledge of cloud-native technologies like Docker, Kubernetes, and serverless architectures.

• Hands-on experience with both relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB).

• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines and automated testing for cloud deployments using tools like Jenkins, Github actions, etc.

• Knowledge of security best practices (e.g., OAuth, JWT, data encryption) and experience with monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack).

• Experience in healthcare, life sciences, or other regulated industries is a big plus.

Personal Qualifications 

First and foremost, you are energized and motivated by the opportunity to build elegant software. You enjoy seeing your creation work like a clock positively impacting thousands of people every year. You crave tough challenges in a super technical and collaborative environment that requires creativity and vision to navigate complex and ambiguous problems. 

• Passionate, purpose-driven, and excited about Karius’ mission

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Mastered your craft yet eager to learn and grow

• Excellent problem-solving skills and demonstrated ability to tackle complex problems

• Demonstrated ability to work independently but also be an excellent team player

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and efficiently in a fast-paced (startup) environment

• Strong problem-solving abilities with attention to detail

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Disclaimer

The above job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Responsibilities and duties may change or be adjusted to meet the needs of the company, and additional duties may be assigned as necessary. The job description is subject to change at any time at the discretion of Karius.

At Karius, we value a diverse and inclusive workplace and provide equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and are committed to honor and invest in the full diversity of people, in our hiring, recruiting and development of employees across the Company. All qualified applicants for employment are encouraged to apply and will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity and gender expression (including transgender individuals who are transitioning, have transitioned, or are perceived to be transitioning to the gender with which they identify), religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you are unable to submit your application due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected] and we will accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities.