Software Dev Engineer II

Summary

Yahoo operates Yahoo Mail, a consumer email service with AntiSpam and Delivery teams that build reliable, high-throughput systems for spam protection and message delivery. The Software Dev Engineer II will independently design, build, deploy, troubleshoot, and optimize distributed backend systems while reviewing code and providing technical feedback.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate distributed systems for inbound protection, entity reputation, traffic shaping, and message delivery
• Use AI-assisted development tools as part of your daily workflow, validating and refining what they produce rather than accepting it blindly
• Translate defined technical requirements into correct, readable, testable code, and deploy continuously to production
• Troubleshoot software failures and tune performance across high-throughput services
• Design and simplify existing components under minimal guidance
• Review peers' code, give constructive feedback, and help with estimation

Skills

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field, with a strong grasp of fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and networking
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Codex, with sound judgment over correctness, security, and maintainability
• 3+ years of backend-focused software development experience in Java, Go, or C++ (we are primarily a Java team, with some systems in Go)
• Solid understanding of cloud computing concepts: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
• Machine learning knowledge with some hands-on AI coding experience
• Experience with a public cloud (GCP or AWS)
• Experience with containers (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes), preferably on GCP
• Experience designing and building high-performing, complex server applications on Unix/Linux
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills, including performance tuning
• A clear communicator who enjoys helping people and stays constructive under pressure
• Strong understanding of network programming and client/server architecture
• Familiarity with best practices for cloud security, scalability, and performance optimization
• Professional experience with high-availability, high-throughput distributed systems
• Experience with big data technologies such as Hadoop, HBase, and Spark
• Experience in algorithm design and ML/AI
• Experience with queuing and streaming technologies such as Kafka or Apache Storm
• Experience with databases such as PostgreSQL
• Working knowledge of a scripting language such as Python, Perl, or Ruby
• Knowledge of Scrum and Agile methodologies

Qualifications

Must Haves

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field, with a strong grasp of fundamentals: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and networking
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or Codex, with sound judgment over correctness, security, and maintainability
• 3+ years of backend-focused software development experience in Java, Go, or C++ (we are primarily a Java team, with some systems in Go)
• Solid understanding of cloud computing concepts: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
• Machine learning knowledge with some hands-on AI coding experience
• Experience with a public cloud (GCP or AWS)
• Experience with containers (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes), preferably on GCP
• Experience designing and building high-performing, complex server applications on Unix/Linux
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills, including performance tuning
• A clear communicator who enjoys helping people and stays constructive under pressure

Nice to Haves

• Strong understanding of network programming and client/server architecture
• Familiarity with best practices for cloud security, scalability, and performance optimization
• Professional experience with high-availability, high-throughput distributed systems
• Experience with big data technologies such as Hadoop, HBase, and Spark
• Experience in algorithm design and ML/AI
• Experience with queuing and streaming technologies such as Kafka or Apache Storm
• Experience with databases such as PostgreSQL
• Working knowledge of a scripting language such as Python, Perl, or Ruby
• Knowledge of Scrum and Agile methodologies

Benefits

• Flexible hybrid work options
• Discretionary annual bonus or commissions
• Healthcare
• 401k
• Backup childcare
• Education stipends