Software Engineer - Backend

Company Overview

Realm builds AI for the mining industry. We integrate with existing mine infrastructure — cameras, SCADA systems, drones, and data repositories — to predict equipment failures, detect unsafe behaviors, and optimize operations. Our platform deploys intelligence in various ways to improve productivity and safety — monitoring PPE compliance via computer vision, optimizing froth flotation processes, analyzing longwall shearer performance, tracking MSHA citation patterns, and more.

Our founders started their careers at Palantir before going on to build Blend Labs (publicly traded fintech, founded as CTO) and Even (acquired by Walmart). Our leadership team brings experience from Uber, Metropolis, and other high-bar organizations. We're a small, senior team that ships daily to production mines.

AI isn't just our product — it's how we build. We're an AI-first engineering team that uses the latest models and tooling throughout our development process, moving faster and at higher quality than traditional teams our size.

Our culture values high agency, deep ownership, collaboration, and autonomy across a fully remote workforce. Teams here move quickly and make meaningful contributions to a product that shapes global industrial outcomes.

What You’ll Do

Build and extend our TypeScript backend serving real-time mining operations data across web and mobile clients

Work across the stack: backend services (50%), applied AI/ML (25%), React frontend (15%), and infrastructure (10%)

Build computer vision pipelines — integrating services like AWS Rekognition, TensorFlow, and SAM3 for PPE detection, person recognition, and safety monitoring

Integrate with industrial systems (SCADA/OPC-UA) to monitor and optimize mine equipment in real time

Ship features end-to-end

Deploy to production multiple times per day with CI/CD

Work with LLMs for intelligent analysis and automation features

Own features in a small team where your code runs at active mines

Interact directly with users to deeply understand customer needs. Translate real-world operational challenges into intuitive, high-impact features

Work closely with our CEO — former CTO and cofounder of Blend Labs — to build a world-class engineering organization from the ground up.

What We’re Looking For

Must-Have Qualifications

Experience & Skills

2+ years of professional software engineering experience (high-quality internships included)

Strong coding skills, problem-solving ability, and CS fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, system design)

Proficiency with agentic coding tools (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) and AI-first development style

Comfort working across the stack — you don't need to be an expert in everything, but you're willing to write a React component, debug a Kubernetes pod, or tune a database query as needed

Engineering Judgment & Quality

Great judgment and intuition about security, testing, code quality, and tech debt

Appreciation of continuous delivery, clean code, and automated testing

Ability to design good generalizations while avoiding premature overengineering

Ownership & Independence

Entrepreneurial work ethic, drive for excellence, and belief in meritocracy, personal responsibility, and hard work

Ability to own features end-to-end with minimal direction

Highly independent and able to come up to speed without heavy assistance

Work Style & Collaboration

Experience and comfort working on a remote team

Ability to handle multiple work streams and frequent context switching as priorities change

Flexible work hours (occasional nights and weekends) when necessary to sprint for urgent deliverables

Humility to learn from others while also being able to advocate for and execute on improvements you believe in

Eligibility

US citizen or permanent resident, and based in the US

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

Startup experience — comfort with ambiguity and wearing multiple hats

Strong TypeScript proficiency

Strong network of top-tier engineers

Familiarity with computer vision or ML inference pipelines

Experience integrating with industrial/IoT systems

Functional programming style preferences (immutability, declarative patterns)

Benefits/Perks

🏥 Full medical, dental, and vision benefits

🌴 Unlimited PTO

💰401(k) with 4% safe-harbor match

📈 Equity in an early-stage, fast-growing company

💻 Home office allowance