Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Who we are: MasterClass is the streaming platform where the world’s best come together so anyone, anywhere, can access and be inspired by their knowledge and stories. We put you in the room with the creators, thinkers, makers and leaders who have changed the world, so that you can change yours. Members get unprecedented access to 200+ instructors and classes across a wide variety of fields, including Arts Entertainment, Business, Design Style, Sports Gaming, Writing and more. Step into Nas’ recording studio and Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen, and go behind the big screen with James Cameron. Design your career with Elaine Welteroth, get ready to win with Lewis Hamilton, perfect your pitch with Shonda Rhimes and discover your inner negotiator with Chris Voss. We’re a remote-first workforce with collaborative work spaces in San Francisco and Kitchener, Ontario, and employees in several U.S. states. If you’re interested in joining a dynamic, culture-driving company—where learning invaluable skills is all in a day’s work—we invite you to apply. Snapshot of the Role: As a Staff Engineer at MasterClass, you’ll operate as a technical leader and multiplier across our engineering organization. You won’t just build systems—you’ll shape how we build them. This includes thoughtfully leveraging AI to accelerate development, improve quality, and help teams work smarter at scale. This role is ideal for an engineer who thrives at the intersection of architecture, execution, and influence. You’ll design and evolve systems that power millions of members, partner closely with Product and Design to shape our roadmap, champion effective AI-augmented engineering practices, and elevate engineering standards across teams. You’ll have the opportunity to: Architect systems that scale globally Influence product and technical strategy Drive high-impact initiatives tied directly to business outcomes Mentor and elevate engineers around you Help define the next generation of our membership platform If you’re motivated by building resilient systems, owning outcomes end-to-end, and raising the bar for technical excellence, this role is for you. What You Will Do: Lead architecture and system design for high-scale, member-facing systems, making thoughtful tradeoffs between velocity, reliability, and long-term maintainability Drive complex, cross-team initiatives from idea through execution, ensuring delivery of measurable business impact Partner cross-functionally with Product, Design, Data, and other Engineering teams to shape roadmaps and align technical strategy with company goals Own outcomes, not just code — proactively identify risks, address technical debt, and improve system reliability and performance Elevate engineering standards through mentorship, design reviews, documentation, and knowledge sharing Influence technical direction beyond your immediate team, helping establish scalable patterns and long-term architectural vision Model and champion AI-augmented engineering practices, demonstrating how thoughtful use of AI can accelerate development cycles, improve code quality, and increase overall team leverage without compromising reliability or security About You (Requirements): 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, with demonstrated experience operating at a senior or staff level Proven track record of designing and evolving distributed systems that operate at scale Experience leading large backend technical initiatives that materially impacted business metrics (e.g., engagement, retention, revenue, performance, cost efficiency) Strong systems thinking and ability to evaluate tradeoffs across reliability, scalability, and speed Experience influencing cross-functional stakeholders and driving alignment without formal authority Demonstrated ownership mindset — you take accountability for outcomes and continuously improve systems and processes Fluency in programming languages like Ruby, Java, Go or similar; exp ... (truncated, view full listing at source)