Job Description

Senior Software Engineer

Brooklyn, NY – Onsite

Caladan Bio is looking for our first Senior Software Engineer to help architect and design the digital platform behind our advanced bioreactor systems. Working directly with the CTO, you will build the core services and infrastructure needed to run our hardware, automation, and machine learning platforms. You will be responsible for architecting backend services that control and orchestrate a fleet of modular lab instruments capable of generating and analyzing high density streams of fermentation data from hundreds of actuators and sensors. We are looking for someone with experience collaborating across a complex stack of hardware, firmware, and software to deliver reliable and efficient software for our customers.

Caladan Bio is automating the process of bringing synthetic biology products to market. We're building the infrastructure (automated hardware, software, and AI) to power the future of biomanufacturing - starting on the benchtop in the earliest stages of R&D and partnering with companies through scale-up. Our flagship product, the Caladan 250, is a high performance benchtop bioreactor system that is enabling our customers to run double the number of experiments.

At Caladan we believe that the future of biomanufacturing will be driven by advancements that span the entire tech stack from genomics all the way through AI and robotics. The dynamic of the problem set we are tackling presents unique challenges, but also opportunities for outsized impact on an industry that will bring the most important technological advancements to our society over the next 100 years. 

Caladan is based in Brooklyn, NY, and is backed by venture firms Lerer Hippeau, Wireframe VC, Twelve Below and Collaborative Fund.

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain backend services that power Caladan’s hardware systems and future software tools.
• Design scalable APIs and data pipelines for experiment tracking, device management, and user interaction.
• Integrate real-time data from bioreactors into cloud-based infrastructure for visualization and analysis.
• Develop foundation for Caladan’s data and machine learning systems.
• Collaborate with frontend, firmware, and hardware teams to define interfaces and system behaviors.
• Write tests, monitor performance, and improve system reliability in production.
• Troubleshoot problems quickly and communicate effectively about solutions. 
• Contribute to overall system architecture and help define best practices for backend development.

What You’ll Bring

• Ability to work onsite in our Brooklyn, NY headquarters.
• 5+ years of experience building backend systems in production environments.
• Proficiencies in: python, async/await patterns, type hinting and static typing in Python, query optimization, database migrations, services architecture, message queuing systems, RESTful API design, docker containerization, CI/CD pipelines, Linux/Unix systems.
• Experience with our core technologies: python 3.11+, Django 5.x, PostgreSQL with TimescaleDB, Redis for caching and message queuing, MQTT for device communication, Celery for task queue management, Docker and Docker Compose.
• Strong fundamentals in software architecture, distributed systems, and debugging.
• A hands-on, collaborative mindset and interest in building with physical systems.

Nice to Have, but Not Required

• Experience in biotech, lab automation, or scientific instrumentation.
• Exposure to IoT or edge-device communication frameworks.
• Previous startup experience or working on hardware/software-integrated products.
• Knowledge of firmware level languages and architectures

What’s in it for You

• Early role on a fast-moving, mission-driven hardware team.
• Chance to work on real products solving meaningful problems facing the future of humanity. 
• Medical, vision, and dental coverage
• Competitive compensation: salary range for this role is $140,000–$180,000 plus equity

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