Back-End Software Engineer (Co-op / Extended Internship)
Engramme
About the role
This is a 6-month, in-person opportunity in San Francisco.
About Engramme
Engramme is a Frontier AI lab spun out of Harvard focusing on AI x Human Memory. Persistent memory is a fundamental open problem at the heart of AI. Our vision is to build models of human memory, and to endow humans with perfect and infinite memory.
Before starting Engramme, the founding team has produced and commercialized extensive research in machine learning and neuro-science inspired memory models:
Gabriel Kreiman (CEO & Co-founder): Professor of Neuroscience and AI, Harvard Medical School. Led key research on brain memory consolidation at Harvard University.
Spandan Madan (CTO & Co-founder): PhD in Computer Science from Harvard, designed AI models which were commercially deployed at Adobe, Fujitsu, and Meta.
What You’ll Do
Join our engineering team to build the backbone of our Memory-as-a-Service platform. You’ll architect scalable systems that power contextual memory retrieval for millions of users.
Design and implement scalable backend architecture for our memory platform
Build robust APIs that handle millions of memory retrievals per day
Optimize database performance and implement caching strategies
Collaborate with the engineering team on technical architecture decisions
Establish engineering best practices and code quality standards
Work with AI/ML teams to integrate memory retrieval algorithms
Monitor system performance and implement automated scaling solutions
What We’re Looking For
Strong proficiency in Python and modern web frameworks (FastAPI, Django, Flask)
Experience with PostgreSQL and database optimization
Knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
Understanding of caching systems (Redis, Memcached) and distributed architectures
Experience with API design and microservices architecture
Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code
Nice to Have
Experience with AI/ML infrastructure and vector databases
Knowledge of similarity search and embedding systems
Background in high-performance computing or real-time systems
Previous startup or early-stage company experience
Open source contributions
Experience with monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana)
Knowledge of message queues (RabbitMQ, Apache Kafka)
Responsibilities
- Design and implement scalable backend architecture for the memory platform
- Build APIs to support high-volume memory retrieval
- Optimize database performance and implement caching strategies
- Collaborate on technical architecture decisions and engineering best practices
- Integrate memory retrieval algorithms with AI/ML teams
- Monitor system performance and implement automated scaling solutions
Qualifications
- Proficiency in Python and web frameworks such as FastAPI, Django, or Flask
- Experience with PostgreSQL, database optimization, API design, and microservices
- Knowledge of AWS or GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, caching systems, and distributed architectures
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
- Nice to have: AI/ML infrastructure, vector databases, similarity search, or embedding systems
- Nice to have: high-performance or real-time systems, startup experience, or open-source contributions
- Nice to have: Prometheus, Grafana, RabbitMQ, or Apache Kafka