Fora is the modern travel agency, empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs to build thriving travel advisory businesses. We're modernizing the $100B+ travel industry with AI woven through every part of the advisor's workflow, plus global supplier relationships, personalized training, and a vibrant community, all in one place. That's what lets advisors build businesses that scale, while their taste and service create trips no algorithm alone could plan. At the heart of it all is our mission: to help the next generation of travel entrepreneurs turn their love for travel into a fulfilling career, whether full-time or part-time.
We're mission-driven and obsessed with our customers, and we believe humans and AI are both essential: the best work here comes from people and technology at their best, together. That's not just a philosophy about our product, it's how we build our team. Everyone at Fora gets hands-on with frontier AI tooling as part of the job. At Fora, you'll learn to be AI-fluent, with real experience applying AI to solve problems day to day, wherever you sit in the company.
Founded in 2021, Fora has grown to a team of 250+ full-time employees based in downtown New York City. In 2026, we closed a $60 million Series D led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, with continued backing from Thrive Capital, Insight Partners, and Heartcore Capital. We've been named a LinkedIn Top Startup (2024), one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies (2023 and 2025), and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies (2026).
Come build something that hasn't existed before.
We’re looking for a seasoned Senior/Staff Backend Engineer to join the Finance Pod, which builds and maintains the complex systems that power advisor payments at Fora. This pod owns the end-to-end advisor payment system and experience (covering booking data ingestion, commission collection, and payouts), and is expanding quickly into new fintech and payment products.
In this role, you’ll design and implement scalable systems that ensure payouts are fast, accurate, and transparent, while collaborating with Product and Ops to bring financial data to life in the Advisor Portal and internal tools. You’ll help build and evolve services that handle booking ingestion, payout logic, reconciliation, and integrations with payment processors like Stripe. Example projects include building smart visualizations for the Payments page, shaping our traveler invoicing experience, building payout statuses and notifications, and integrating with new financial platforms and services.
Our ideal candidate is someone who understands our mission and is excited to shape how thousands of travel entrepreneurs get paid—bringing an eye for user experience, data integrity, and trust to every interaction involving money movement.
Key Responsibilities- Partner with Product Managers and Designers to define and prioritize the roadmap for advisor payments, commission earnings, and revenue systems
- Design and maintain distributed systems that process booking, payment, and reconciliation data at scale
- Build and optimize backend services that power payout logic, transaction timing, ledger accuracy, and integrations with third-party payment platforms
- Focus on performance, architecture, data modeling, and transactional reliability in all systems you own
- Collaborate with other engineers to define end-to-end engineering solutions that connect frontend experiences with secure, verifiable backend processes
- Own epics and be responsible for the full solution—design, implementation, and delivery
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- 5+ years experience in backend web development
- 3+ years experience with Python, using Django / Flask / equivalent frameworks
- Strong experience designing APIs and distributed systems that handle financial or transactional data
- Experience with relational databases, ORMs, and data models that support accounting or ledger-based workflows
- Background in FinTech, Payments, or Infrastructure—especially systems involving reconciliation, double-entry accounting, or money movement—is highly preferred
- AWS experience, a plus
- Kubernetes experience, a plus
- Ability to be a team player, with strong communication and collaboration skills
- An entrepreneurial mindset
Compensation for this role ranges from $185K to $235K + equity, based on the level at which a candidate is hired. Each level has a single standardized compensation figure, and the level offered is determined by performance across the interview process.
- Unlimited vacation
- Health Insurance (including an option completely covered by Fora HQ)
- Dental & Vision Insurance
- Wellhub Memberships
- 401k plan with company match
- Commuter Benefits
- Supplemental Life Insurance
- Stock Options
This role is based in New York City with a hybrid WFH & office schedule (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday are our Tribeca in-office days, with flexibility for Wednesday and Friday at your preference).
We’re forging our own path
Fora has always been about driving change within the industry. We’re not interested in maintaining the status quo.
We’re stronger together
Community is our cornerstone and collective power is our strength. We believe we can all go further when we operate together, using our combined leverage to unlock better opportunities and outcomes for our advisors, partners, and travelers.
We believe in technology
We believe technology is an answer to some of the most fundamental challenges the travel industry faces. We believe advancements in AI, bold investments in our platforms, and a world-class data infrastructure will transform the work of our advisors and our partners, while creating better travel experiences for travelers.
We’re here to serve
We operate in service of our community and believe that when they’re empowered to focus on what they do best, we all win. It’s why we relentlessly advocate for our advisors and prioritize their best interest every step of the way.
We mean business
Fora is equal parts fun, meaningful work and serious travel business. We’re unlocking opportunities for thousands of travel entrepreneurs, delivering a stream of high-quality guests at scale for our partners, and providing a superior travel experience for our travelers. It’s a better equation for the future of our industry.
WORK AUTHORIZATION
Authorization to work in the United States is required for full-time roles based in our New York City office. Fora is unable to sponsor or assist with U.S. work authorization. Roles based outside of the United States are not subject to this requirement.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Fora is committed to an equitable hiring process and an inclusive work environment. BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We will not discriminate and will take action to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other characteristic protected by law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- 6+ years experience in backend web development
- 3+ years experience with Python, using Django / Flask / equivalent frameworks
- Strong experience designing APIs and distributed systems that handle financial or transactional data
- Experience with relational databases, ORMs, and data models that support accounting or ledger-based workflows
- Background in FinTech, Payments, or Infrastructure
- AWS experience
- Kubernetes experience
- Ability to be a team player, with strong communication and collaboration skills
- An entrepreneurial mindset
Fora Compensation & Benefits Highlights
-
Healthcare Strength — Core coverage for HQ employees includes medical, dental and vision insurance, alongside life and disability insurance. Wellness add‑ons like Wellhub and commuter benefits reinforce a solid health benefits package.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is described as unlimited PTO with paid holidays and a “work from anywhere” allowance for three weeks per year. This signals generous flexibility around time away from work.
-
Pay Growth & Progression — Advisor compensation has clear tiers: a 70/30 split to start, moving to 80/20 at $300k in calendar‑year sales and up to 90/10 at $2M+. Higher tiers also unlock added program benefits such as FAM eligibility, TA rates, and lead programs.
Fora Insights
What We Do
Fora is a technology company empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs. We build the platform that is changing travel - AI woven through every part of the advisor's workflow, plus global supplier relationships, training, and more, all in one place. That's what lets advisors build businesses that scale, while their taste and service create trips no algorithm alone could plan. The same idea shapes how we work. We're mission-driven and obsessed with our customers, and we believe humans and AI are both essential. The best work here comes from people and technology at their best, together. We're backed by Thrive, Insight, and Forerunner, and named to TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2026. Come build something that hasn't existed before.
Why Work With Us
Fora is redefining the travel industry by challenging norms and fostering a culture of growth, curiosity, and autonomy. We invest in cutting-edge technology to fuel innovation and empower our team to drive impactful change. Here, you’ll find meaningful work with ample opportunities for internal growth.
Gallery
Fora Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Fora’s workplace policy offers balance and flexibility: we’re in-office 4 days a week, enjoy 3 weeks remote annually, and have flexible Fridays—all in a bright, inviting space in Fidi/Tribeca that fosters collaboration and creativity.
