Staff Software Engineer, Full Stack

Remote within the United States, the United Kingdom, or Canada Full-time, 32 hours per week $190,000 base salary, plus $10,000 in annual stipends About the company Relio is partnering with a queer- and feminist-led astrology company to hire a Full-Stack Staff Engineer. The company builds digital products rooted in astrology and is on a mission to help people live with greater purpose. Its product serves more than 500,000 users, and astrology is central to both the experience and the company’s mission. This opportunity is especially well suited to someone who has a genuine interest in astrology. You do not need to be a practicing astrologer, but an understanding of planets, signs, houses, and how they relate to one another is a meaningful advantage. An exceptional Staff Engineer who is also a practicing astrologer would be especially compelling. This is a small team operating at significant scale. Engineers often help define the problem while solving it, and the person joining will have meaningful ownership across major areas of the company’s software ecosystem. About the role The Full-Stack Staff Engineer will serve as a technical owner across major products, projects, and systems while remaining meaningfully hands-on in the codebase. Working closely with product, design, astrology, and engineering, you will translate product goals and business needs into technical strategy, architecture, roadmaps, and executable plans. You will own complex initiatives from early product exploration through implementation, launch, and continued iteration. This role is responsible for: Owning the technical direction and execution of major projects and systemsCreating technical roadmaps that translate product goals into clear, sequenced engineering workDesigning technical solutions and breaking complex architecture into appropriately scoped projects, milestones, and actionable ticketsLeading architectural decisions with performance, security, reliability, observability, and scale in mindDocumenting important decisions, including technical tradeoffs, dependencies, risks, and opportunitiesDesigning, developing, testing, and maintaining full-stack applications for a large production user baseTaking ownership of complex technical problems whose requirements or solutions may not initially be clearAnticipating technical risks and helping the team make informed decisions about scope and sequencingIdentifying patterns across projects and addressing systemic issues rather than repeatedly solving them at the feature levelImproving the systems, tooling, and engineering practices that help the entire team work effectivelyProviding technical context and direction while preserving room for collaboration and individual judgmentMentoring engineers through documentation, code review, pairing, knowledge sharing, and technical guidancePartnering effectively with both technical and nontechnical stakeholders What we’re looking forExperience 10 or more years of professional software engineering experienceIdeally, two to three or more years operating at the Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, Technical Lead, or equivalent levelDemonstrated ownership of complex products or systems from conception through productionExperience leading technically complex projects without relying on formal managerial authorityRecent startup or small-team experience is preferredWe care more about the scope and substance of your work than your exact title. If you have been operating at Staff level without formally holding the title, we still encourage you to apply. Technical background Extensive professional experience with TypeScript and JavaScriptExperience with PostgreSQL and strong knowledge of SQL database design and managementExperience with modern frameworks and technologies, including React Native, Next.js, and Node.jsExperience developing with AWS or Google CloudStrong knowledge of software design principles and engineering best practicesStrong systems-design skills across interconnected applications and servicesExperience designing production systems for reliability, observability, performance, security, and scaleThe ability to reason across the full stack and understand how decisions in one part of a system affect anotherExcellent technical judgment when there is no obvious answerCollaboration and work style The ability to explain complex technical ideas clearly to both technical and nontechnical collaboratorsExperience translating subject-matter expertise, business needs, and product ideas into thoughtful technical solutionsComfort working through ambiguity with a bias toward action and refinementA collaborative, low-ego approach to technical leadershipThe ability to challenge assumptions, receive feedback, change direction, and help a team reach stronger decisions togetherWillingness to participate in weekly meetings scheduled between 12 and 5 p.m. Eastern Time Astrology and domain experience The following are strong preferences and meaningful differentiators rather than strict requirements: Knowledge of astrology and an interest in building technology rooted in astrological conceptsAn understanding of planets, signs, houses, and how to reason about planets in signs and housesExperience translating complex bodies of knowledge, rules, or symbolic systems into softwareExperience as a practicing astrologerYou do not need to be an astrologer to be considered. Genuine interest, existing knowledge, and enthusiasm for learning are all meaningful. Engineering environment The engineering team works in a no-AI coding environment. Candidates must be comfortable designing, writing, reviewing, and debugging code without using generative AI coding tools. Compensation and benefits $190,000 USD base salary$10,000 in additional annual stipendsA four-day, 32-hour workweekSeven weeks of paid company closures each yearFully covered health, dental, and vision insuranceA 401(k) with a 5% company matchSix months of paid parental leaveUnlimited, flexible paid vacation, subject to approvalA vacation stipendPaid and protected leave related to gender-based violenceUnlimited menstrual leave for people with uterusesAn annual technology stipendA personal and professional development stipendA stipend designed to help employees build wealthA flexible work-from-home policyThe company does not currently accept counteroffers to the stated base salary. There is room for salary growth within the first year of employment. Commitment to inclusion People who are queer, trans, nonbinary, Black, Indigenous, people of color, disabled, parents, immigrants, system-impacted, have experienced systemic oppression, or have experienced gender-based violence are strongly encouraged to apply. Location and travel This position is fully remote and open to candidates based in the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada. Candidates must be willing to travel to New York or Los Angeles one to three times per year. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The company is looking to fill the role immediately. About Relio Relio is a woman-owned talent consultancy that helps organizations make high-stakes hires and build the systems that make good hiring repeatable. Relio specializes in executive and highly specialized searches where the combination of technical experience, leadership, values, and mission alignment matters.