Software Engineer, Consumer Engineering

Summary

Reddit is a community platform where users share, discover, and discuss content across interest-based communities. The Consumer Engineering organization is seeking a Software Engineer to build and scale backend products and services supporting content discovery, community participation, user growth, monetization, identity, and security. The role partners cross-functionally to design APIs, deliver product initiatives end to end, run experiments, optimize performance, and improve engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• **Cross-Functional Product Architecture:** Partner closely with Product Management, Product Design, Data Science, and Client Engineers (iOS/Android/Web) to translate business and user needs into reliable, low-latency technical solutions
• **End-to-End Delivery:** Own the full software lifecycle for major product initiatives from technical design docs and API contracts to development, testing, rollout, and observability
• **Metrics & Experimentation-Led Engineering:** Design, build, and evaluate A/B experiments. Work with tools like BigQuery, HEX, or Firebase to analyze user behavior, conversion funnels, and retention loops to make data-backed engineering decisions
• **API & System Performance:** Build and maintain scalable APIs (GraphQL, REST, gRPC) and distributed backend services optimized for client consumption and consumer UI performance
• **Technical Rigor & Modern Tooling:** Establish engineering best practices, improve developer workflows, mentor teammates, and use modern, AI-integrated tools to ship high-quality products efficiently

Skills

• * **User-Centric Mindset:** An advocate for the user with an intuitive feel for product usability, interaction design, social dynamics, and user growth loops. You care deeply about *why* a feature is being built and its impact on the end user
• * **Data-Informed & Hypothesis-Driven:** Comfortable working alongside Data Scientists and PMs to design experiments, establish core performance metrics, and iterate quickly based on real-time feedback
• * **Technical Rigor at Scale:** 3+ years of hands-on backend development experience building and operating large-scale distributed serving systems in high-concurrency environments
• * **Bias for Action:** Self-directed, innovative, and comfortable navigating ambiguity in fast-paced product environments where balancing velocity with system reliability is essential
• * **Collaborative Communicator:** Outstanding communication skills with a track record of driving cross-functional alignment in fully remote or hybrid team environments
• * **Languages:** Proficiency in modern backend languages such as **Go** or **Python** (or Java, Kotlin, Rust, C++)
• * **API Design:** Expertise in designing and maintaining scalable, maintainable APIs using **GraphQL**, **REST**, or **gRPC** for native mobile and web applications
• * **Data & Caching:** Experience with high-throughput caching layers and distributed datastores (e.g., **Redis**, **Cassandra**, **PostgreSQL**)
• * **Modern Workflows:** Experience or interest in using AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate development workflows

Qualifications

Must Haves

• * **User-Centric Mindset:** An advocate for the user with an intuitive feel for product usability, interaction design, social dynamics, and user growth loops. You care deeply about *why* a feature is being built and its impact on the end user
• * **Data-Informed & Hypothesis-Driven:** Comfortable working alongside Data Scientists and PMs to design experiments, establish core performance metrics, and iterate quickly based on real-time feedback
• * **Technical Rigor at Scale:** 3+ years of hands-on backend development experience building and operating large-scale distributed serving systems in high-concurrency environments
• * **Bias for Action:** Self-directed, innovative, and comfortable navigating ambiguity in fast-paced product environments where balancing velocity with system reliability is essential
• * **Collaborative Communicator:** Outstanding communication skills with a track record of driving cross-functional alignment in fully remote or hybrid team environments
• * **Languages:** Proficiency in modern backend languages such as **Go** or **Python** (or Java, Kotlin, Rust, C++)
• * **API Design:** Expertise in designing and maintaining scalable, maintainable APIs using **GraphQL**, **REST**, or **gRPC** for native mobile and web applications
• * **Data & Caching:** Experience with high-throughput caching layers and distributed datastores (e.g., **Redis**, **Cassandra**, **PostgreSQL**)
• * **Modern Workflows:** Experience or interest in using AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate development workflows

Benefits

• Equity in the form of restricted stock units
• Depending on the position offered, eligibility to receive a commission
• Medical insurance for U.S.-based employees
• Dental insurance for U.S.-based employees
• Vision insurance for U.S.-based employees
• 401(k) program with employer match for U.S.-based employees
• Generous time off for vacation for U.S.-based employees
• Parental leave for U.S.-based employees