Backend Software Engineer Intern

Software Engineer Intern — Backend engineering & Applied AILocation: San Francisco Bay Area Workplace: On-site Employment Type: Internship Compensation: $25–$40 per hour Experience: Student, recent graduate, or up to one year of professional experienceAbout Protocol NineProtocol Nine is a stealth-mode cybersecurity startup building next-generation security infrastructure and an AI-native security platform.We use specialized language models and agentic systems to enable real-time threat detection, intelligent security analysis, and automated policy enforcement. Our mission is to help organizations protect critical assets as digital environments become increasingly complex.About the RoleWe're looking for a hands-on backend engineering intern who wants to build distributed, scalable systems and the AI infrastructure on top of them.You'll work alongside experienced engineers on backend services, APIs, and AI-powered workflows — integrating large language models, building retrieval-augmented generation systems, developing agentic applications, constructing ETL pipelines, and designing the APIs our frontend consumes.This is an early-stage product. You'll own features from prototype through production deployment, and your work will ship.What You’ll Do Design and build scalable backend services and REST APIs in Go and PythonIntegrate LLMs, retrieval systems, tool-calling, and agentic workflows into production applicationsBuild and evaluate RAG pipelines end to endDevelop ETL pipelines and data processing workflowsDeploy, monitor, debug, and improve AI-powered services in productionUse AI coding tools and agent harnesses to move faster without sacrificing engineering qualityWrite clean, testable, secure, maintainable codeParticipate in technical design discussions, code reviews, and agile development cyclesWhat We’re Looking ForCurrently pursuing or recently completed a bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical fieldStrong programming fundamentals with solid command of data structures and algorithmsProficiency in Python; familiarity with Go, or eagerness to pick it up quicklyWorking knowledge of SQL and/or NoSQL databases (we use PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch) and REST API designExposure to Kubernetes, Kafka, or other message queue systemsHands-on building experience — coursework, personal projects, research, open-source contributions, or prior internships all countGenuine interest in generative AI, LLM applications, RAG, AI agents, or cybersecurityStrong problem-solving and communication skills, and the ability to take ownership in a fast-moving startup environmentPreferred QualificationsYou do not need experience with everything listed below. Experience in one or more of these areas is a plus:Building applications with LLM APIs or open-source language modelsRAG systems, vector databases, embeddings, or semantic searchElasticsearch or similar search engines — indexing, query DSL, relevance tuningAgent frameworks, tool-calling systems, or AI coding agentsDocker and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure)Model evaluation, observability, or production AI infrastructureCybersecurity, network security, or security automationGraphQLTechnology AreasLanguages: Go, PythonAI: LLMs, RAG, embeddings, prompt engineering, agentic systemsData: SQL, NoSQL, vector databasesInfrastructure: Docker, Git, AWS, GCP, or AzureWhat We OfferCompetitive compensation of $25–$40 per hour.Direct mentorship from experienced engineers.Meaningful ownership of features used in a real product.Hands-on experience building production AI and cybersecurity systems.Access to modern AI development tools and technical resources.A collaborative, high-ownership startup environment.Flexible working hours within an on-site work structure.Potential opportunity to convert to a full-time position based on performance and company needs.Our CultureProtocol Nine values curiosity, ownership, thoughtful experimentation, and continuous learning. We believe strong products are built by teams with diverse experiences and perspectives.Interns are treated as contributing members of the engineering team. You will be encouraged to propose ideas, make technical decisions, and own meaningful projects—with guidance and support from experienced mentors.Protocol Nine is an equal-opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace.