Freshworks · 1 month ago
Lead Software Engineer - Backend
San Mateo, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$168K/yr - $208K/yr
6+ years expFreshworks Inc. builds uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional employee and customer experiences. As a Lead Backend Engineer, you will architect and build scalable backend services, lead development lifecycles, and mentor junior engineers while ensuring high performance and code quality.
Enterprise SoftwareInformation TechnologySaaSSoftwareCRMInformation Services
Responsibilities
Architect and build scalable backend services that handle millions of transactions reliably
Own the full development lifecycle: from high-level design to deployment and debugging
Write clean, modular, and testable code—optimized for both readability and performance
Apply deep OOPS concepts and design patterns to solve real-world engineering problems
Ensure systems are tuned for high availability, fault tolerance, and observability
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Product, Frontend, SRE) to deliver customer value fast
Lead code reviews, mentor 2–3 engineers, and drive engineering best practices across the team
Elevate overall code quality
Troubleshoot performance bottlenecks in production and drive long-term stability improvements
Influence platform direction through architectural reviews and roadmap planning
Qualification
Required
6 to 8 years of experience building and scaling backend systems in fast-paced product teams
Ruby on Rails proficiency
Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): Expertise in selecting optimal data structures and developing efficient, optimized code including time/space complexity trade-offs
Deep knowledge of REST APIs
Problem Solving & Logical Analysis: Ability to clearly articulate thought processes, decompose complex problems, and engineer effective solutions
Object-Oriented Design (OOD): Strong command of OOP principles, designing extensible code, and applying SOLID principles
System Design (High-Level Design - HLD & LLD): Proven ability to design scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant end-to-end systems, including APIs, schema, and data models
Exposure to RDBMS, caching strategies, distributed queues, and microservices
Exposure and experience with AI tools and technologies to improve efficiency
Leadership & Collaboration: Demonstrates strong ownership, collaborates effectively, and shows potential for mentoring
Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field
You're skilled at balancing fast delivery with long-term scalability
You think clearly in code and architecture diagrams
You've shipped features at scale and supported them in production
You love working in collaborative, agile teams—and mentoring others along the way
Benefits
Multiple options for dental, medical, vision, disability and life insurances
Equity + ESPP
Flexible PTO
Flexible spending
Commuter benefits
Wellness benefits
Adoption and parental leave benefits
Company
Freshworks
Freshworks is building and delivering online cloud-based software-as-a-service that provides helpdesk support with automation solutions.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Freshworks has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
47%
Represents job field similar to this job
Engineering and Development
Sales
Management and Executive
Product Management
Accounting and Finance
Marketing
Customer Service and Support
Trends of Total Sponsorships
*2026 (3)
2025 (20)
2024 (23)
2023 (7)
2022 (11)
2021 (10)
2020 (4)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$484MKey Investors
Steadview CapitalAccel,CapitalG,Sequoia CapitalAccel,Peak XV Partners
2021-09-21IPO
2020-01-01Secondary Market· $85M
2019-11-04Series H· $150M
Leadership Team
Dennis Woodside
CEO, President
Shan Krishnasamy
Co-founder and CTO
Recent News
2026-05-16
Company data provided by crunchbase