Software Engineer II (Backend, Platform)

At WHOOP, we're on a mission to unlock and inspire performance for life. WHOOP empowers members to perform at a higher level and live longer through a deeper understanding of their bodies and daily lives. Protecting our members’ data and ensuring our systems scale securely and reliably is core to this mission. WHOOP is hiring a Software Engineer II focused on backend development to build and enhance systems that power our platform. This role will directly contribute to delivering scalable and secure services that support millions of members worldwide. While backend development expertise is the primary focus, familiarity with cybersecurity concepts (data privacy, AuthN/AuthZ, etc) or cloud infrastructure concepts (AWS, IaC, Kubernetes, etc) will be considered a strong plus. This is a top-funnel role: depending on your background and interests, you may align more closely with our Product Security team (focused on secure-by-default guardrails, compliance, and data privacy) or our Application Infrastructure team (focused on scalability, reliability, and developer enablement). Either way, you’ll have the opportunity to shape core platform practices and help WHOOP grow to the next level. RESPONSIBILITIES: Design, develop, and maintain robust, scalable backend systems that power WHOOP’s core infrastructure and member experience. Collaborate with product managers, data engineers, frontend developers, and other cross-functional partners to deliver features that enhance member engagement. Build and maintain APIs to enable seamless integration with frontend applications and third-party services. Ensure system reliability, scalability, and performance through effective testing, monitoring, and optimization. Implement secure coding practices and contribute to designing systems that safeguard member data. Stay current with backend technologies and contribute to improving team engineering standards and best practices. QUALIFICATIONS: 2-4 years of backend software development experience, ideally in languages like Java, Python, or C#. Experience designing and building RESTful APIs and microservices. Exposure to event-driven architecture (messaging/streaming tech such as Kafka, RabbitMQ). Familiarity with database design and management (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, or NoSQL databases). Understanding of cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure). Familiarity with cybersecurity principles (data privacy, authentication, and authorization) is a plus but not required. Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Good communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams. BONUS QUALIFICATIONS: Experience working with infrastructure as code and developer enablement platforms. Familiarity with containers and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes). Background in cloud security or incident response. Exposure to building translation or localization platforms to support multi-language content delivery. Hands-on experience with observability tools (logging, monitoring, alerting) in production environments. ABOUT YOU You thrive on ownership and want to shape the foundation of WHOOP’s platform. You automate everything you can, always seeking to replace manual work with scalable tooling. You enjoy working cross-functionally and can communicate complex infrastructure and security topics clearly. You believe reliability, security, and visibility are just as important as speed and scale. Learn more about our engineering teams and how to be successful in your engineering career at WHOOP via our Career Framework . This role is based in the WHOOP office located in Boston, MA. The successful candidate must be prepared to relocate if necessary to work out of the Boston, MA office. Interested in the role, but don’t meet every qualification? We encourage you to still apply! At WHOOP, we believe there is much more to a candidate than what is written on paper, and we value character as much as experience. As we continue to build a diverse and inclusive environment, we encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply. WHOOP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-verify to determine employment eligibility. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. The WHOOP compensation philosophy is designed to attract, motivate, and retain exceptional talent by offering competitive base salaries, meaningful equity, and consistent pay practices that reflect our mission and core values. At WHOOP, we view total compensation as the combination of base salary, equity, and benefits, with equity serving as a key differentiator that aligns our employees with the long-term success of the company and allows every member of our corporate team to own part of WHOOP and share in the company’s long-term growth and success. The U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $125,000 - $175,000. Salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within each range, individual pay is based on factors such as job-related skills, experience, performance, and relevant education or training. In addition to the base salary, the successful candidate will also receive benefits and a generous equity package. These ranges may be modified in the future to reflect evolving market conditions and organizational needs. While most offers will typically fall toward the starting point of the range, total compensation will depend on the candidate’s specific qualifications, expertise, and alignment with the role’s requirements.