Principal Backend Engineer

Vectra

San Jose, CA

Full Time

Senior

245k-300k

6 days ago

Job Description

About the Role

Vectra is the leader in AI-driven threat detection and response for hybrid and multi-cloud enterprises. The Vectra AI Platform delivers integrated signal across public cloud, SaaS, identity, and data center networks in a single platform. Powered by patented Attack Signal Intelligence, it empowers security teams to rapidly prioritize, investigate and respond to the most advanced cyber-attacks. Vectra is an early-stage startup on a mission to reinvent cybersecurity with AI-native infrastructure, aiming to help defenders move faster than adversaries by combining large-scale data, modern AI, and intelligent automation. The company is backed by top-tier investors and collaborates with design partners across critical infrastructure and enterprise security. This role is hybrid, requiring 3 days per week in the San Jose office.

Key Responsibilities

Design and implement backend services that process streaming security data in real-time.
Build and optimize data pipelines for ingestion, enrichment, and retrieval.
Integrate and query graph databases to model threat actors, relationships, and context.
Develop RAG pipelines to support AI agent reasoning over knowledge bases and historical data.
Collaborate with AI researchers, product, and security teams to define APIs and interfaces for agentic workflows.
Own and operate services from design to production monitoring.

Requirements

10+ years of backend engineering experience, ideally in high-scale or data-intensive environments.
Strong programming skills in Python, Go, or Rust.
Experience with streaming data technologies (Kafka, Spark, Flink).
Hands-on experience with one or more graph databases (Neo4j, JanusGraph, AWS Neptune).
Familiarity with vector databases and RAG patterns (embedding stores, FAISS, Weaviate, Pinecone).
Understanding of scalable API and microservices design (REST, gRPC, WebSockets).
Comfortable in fast-paced, ambiguous startup environments with a strong builder mindset.
Someone who is looking for a hybrid work environment, with a minimum of 3 days in the San Jose office.

Nice to Have

Exposure to LLMs, agent frameworks (LangChain, AutoGen, PydanticAI).
Experience with security data formats (Syslog, Zeek, Sigma, etc.) and/or SIEM/XDR pipelines.
DevOps familiarity (Kubernetes, Terraform, observability stacks).

Qualifications

Educational background not explicitly specified, but extensive experience required (10+ years).

Benefits & Perks

Life insurance, stock options
Competitive total rewards package including base pay, incentive plan eligibility, and stock options
Health care insurance, income protection / life insurance, retirement savings plans
Behavioral & emotional wellness services, generous time away from work, employee recognition programs
Founding-level equity and full-stack ownership
Work on meaningful problems at the intersection of AI and security
High agency, fast learning, direct access to customers and users

Working at Vectra

Vectra is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The company values innovation, fast learning, ownership, and building from the ground up, fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment.

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