Software Engineer, Backend

What we do

We provide savings on insurance premiums for commercial businesses that are leveraging modern technology on their worksites.

While we began with commercial construction, we're expanding into adjacent sectors, including Energy, Agriculture, and Real Estate.

Our investors

To date, Shepherd has raised over $20M from leading investors, including :

Y Combinator – W21 cohort

Susa Ventures – lead our Pre-Seed round

Spark Capital - lead our Seed round

Costanoa Ventures + Intact Ventures – lead our Series A round

And several more.

Our team

We're a team of technologists and insurance enthusiasts, bridging the two worlds together. Check out our team page to meet some of us!

About You

We're looking for a talented software engineer who's passionate about what we're building and ready to do the best work of their career. You thrive on ownership, drive results, and care deeply about both technical excellence and customer impact.

You would be our dream candidate if...

You aren't afraid of ambiguity, and it may even excite you

You enjoy shipping product every day (maybe multiple times a day) while maintaining high quality standards

You enjoy wearing multiple hats while solving problems; as an engineer, product manager, and designer

You take end-to-end ownership of features and systems, from conception through release

You care about the built-world and how to improve construction safety and productivity

You care about others' growth and welcome mentoring other engineers — you've led or been a major contributor on significant projects

You have strong opinions, weakly held — you advocate for your ideas but adapt when presented with better solutions

You communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

You have some experience with insurance – either from a prior InsurTech role or actuarial role

You have experience working with Javascript / Typescript (backend and / or frontend)

You have at least 5+ years of working experience (preferably as a full-stack engineer) with a track record of delivering high-impact products

About the Role

Shepherd's platform consists of three primary elements : data collection, automated underwriting, and policy administration.

You will lead major initiatives and own a large area of Shepherd's product experience, in each vertical while driving technical decisions for your domain

You will work across the stack, even across different disciplines (e.g. underwriting, design, product management)

You will play an integral role in building our culture as the company grows and mentor other engineers as we scale the team

You will balance innovation with pragmatic delivery — staying current with emerging tech while shipping quality products

You will contribute to product strategy and architectural decisions, not just implementation

You will collaborate closely with PM, Mo (CTO) and the insurance team (underwriters, actuaries and more!)

Our Tech Stack

Frontend

React & Next.js

Typescript

GraphQL w / Apollo

Backend

Node.js

Postgres & Redis

Typescript

GraphQL APIs

Compensation

The cash compensation range for this role is $170,000 - $220,000

Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range(s) listed is just one component of Shepherd's total compensation package for employees. Other benefits include meaningful equity with significant upside potential , an unlimited paid time off policy, and 100% coverage on medical, vision and dental insurance.

Benefits

🏥 Premium Healthcare

100% contribution to top-tier health, dental, and vision

🏖️ Unlimited PTO

Flexibility to take the time off, recharge, and perform

🥗 Daily lunches, dinners, and snacks

We work together, and enjoy meals together too

🖥️ SF, NYC, or Dallas-Fort Worth Offices

Premium office spaces on both coasts with daily lunches provided

📚 Professional Development

Access to premium coaching, including leadership development

🏦 401(k) Plan

Competitive 401(k) plan offered

🐶 Dog-friendly office

Plenty of dogs to play with and make friends with in the SF office