Staff Software Engineer, Backend

Join Tech @ Ro to build the future of healthcare, from the ground up! At Ro, we believe that when people achieve their health goals, they can achieve their life goals. The highest-leverage way to move society forward is to give people their health, and the current healthcare system isn’t built to do that. It was built to bill, not to serve patients. We’re building a new system. One where the patient is in control. One designed from scratch for the digital age. At Ro, technology isn’t just a function… It's core to how we deliver care. We’ve built a vertically integrated healthcare platform that connects telehealth, diagnostics, pharmacy, and logistics into a seamless, end-to-end experience for millions of patients. …and we’re just getting started. As part of Tech @ Ro, you’ll work on systems that operate at scale, with an opportunity to: • Solve complex, high-concurrency problems across a full-stack platform • Build and ship quickly with tight feedback loops and real-world impact • Own systems end-to-end, from architecture to production performance • Work alongside experienced operators, technical leaders, and clinicians • Help define how modern healthcare should be delivered We’re a performance-driven team with a strong sense of ownership and urgency. We move fast, learn quickly, and hold a high bar for what we build, and do so with a big heart — because patients depend on it. If you’re motivated by impact, scale, and the chance to help lead the patient revolution, come build with us. The Role We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join the team at Ro. In this role, you will operate as a technical leader, mentor, and architect — helping shape the future of our platform and driving the delivery of systems that directly impact patients and providers. You will partner closely with other engineers, product managers, designers, and cross-functional leads to define and deliver technical roadmaps that balance immediate product needs with long-term technical stability, scalability, and maintainability. As a Staff Engineer, you will not only design and build robust distributed systems but also mentor engineers, influence engineering culture, and play a key role in technical decision-making. If you thrive in complex problem spaces, enjoy shaping technical direction at scale, and are motivated by the opportunity to improve healthcare through technology, we’d love to hear from you. What You’ll Do • Design and build scalable, reliable, and resilient distributed services using Python and FastAPI • Operate as an owner and technical leader within your team's domain and proactively assess and improve system performance and reliability • Drive engineering excellence through best practices in testing, monitoring, observability, and performance optimization • Define and own technical roadmaps, breaking down ambiguous and complex problem spaces into clear project plans and deliverables • Mentor and collaborate with engineers across levels, raising the technical bar and fostering growth across the team • Lead cross-functional technical efforts — working closely with product managers, designers, and engineers from adjacent teams to ensure alignment and technical integrity across boundaries • Participate in on-call rotations to ensure reliability of production systems What You’ll Bring to the Team • 7 - 10+ years of software engineering experience, including experience in roles involving technical leadership • Experience architecting, designing and building scalable web applications and distributed systems • Proficiency with Python, relational databases, and frameworks like FastAPI or Django, with hands-on experience in metrics instrumentation and data-driven performance tuning leveraging Ro’s load testing infrastructure and tools like Datadog • Proven track record of scaling complex, data-intensive backend systems through rapid growth (ideally in a mid-to-late stage startup environment), ensuring high performance and availability • Deep understanding of distributed systems-data consistency, communication patterns, and service boundaries-backed by hands-on experience building and maintaining data-intensive production systems • Strong sense of ownership, with the ability to understand and break down complex problem spaces into technical roadmaps • Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, foster collaboration, and set technical direction Bonus Skills • Experience in telehealth or other highly regulated industries • Experience with decoupling monolithic applications into distributed asynchronous services We’ve Got You Covered • Full medical, dental, and vision insurance + OneMedical membership • Healthcare and Dependent Care FSA • 401(k) with company match • Flexible PTO • Wellbeing + Learning & Growth reimbursements • Paid parental leave + Fertility benefits • Pet insurance • Student loan refinancing • Virtual resources for mindfulness, counseling, and fitness The target base salary for this position ranges from $223,100 to $311,000, in addition to a competitive equity and benefits package (as applicable). When determining compensation, we analyze and carefully consider several factors, including location, job-related knowledge, skills and experience. These considerations may cause your compensation to vary. Ro is consistently recognized as a top workplace in Health Care, in New York, and for Women and Parents—earning more than 20 honors from Fortune, Great Place to Work, and PEOPLE since 2021. In 2025 alone, we ranked top 5 among medium workplaces in Health Care and New York, and top 50 nationwide. At Ro, we believe that our diverse perspectives are our biggest strengths — and that embracing them will create real change in healthcare. As an equal opportunity employer, we provide equal opportunity in all aspects of employment, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, training and promotion, termination, and any other terms and conditions of employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, familial status, age, disability and/or any other legally protected classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Ro is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our application and interview process. If you require a reasonable accommodation in the application or interview process, please contact us at talent@ro.co. See our California Privacy Policy here.