Senior Software Engineer, Substack
Core Product Team
$200-230k
+ Equity
Platform for writers & podcasters
Job no longer available
Platform for writers & podcasters
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$200-230k
+ Equity
1001+ employees
Company mission
To give thinkers, writers, and creatives the opportunity to pursue their curiosity and make money at the same time.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years of experience building backend software for high scale systems
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent work experience
- Can contribute across the full web stack, but may have a deeper passion for certain technologies and systems
- Independent and autonomous. We’re too small to micromanage, and expect that every person at the company owns their work and can be a leader
- Take pride in building elegant and delightful product experiences. Substack works best when it gets out of the way so writers can focus on writing and connecting with their readers
- Enjoy collaboration with a diverse group of thinkers while bringing our own unique experience and background to the team
- Believe in Substack’s mission to build a better business model for writing
- We’re seeking people passionate about enabling independent expression and building a better business model for creators
What the job involves
- Software Engineers at Substack are responsible for the core product platform, from frontend UI and testing, to APIs, low-level services, and database operations
- Software Engineers work in close partnership with designers, product thinkers, and customers directly to build out new product offerings and tooling across the platform
- They are on the front-lines of product development and are responsible for creating what’s next for Substack
- With the support of the engineering team, develop the core Substack product for readers and writers. This is a dynamic organization with needs across the board. We expect that engineers will be able to jump into any area of the product, learn quickly and add value
- Grow and develop engineering best practices via close mentorship and collaboration across a team of engineers
- Contribute to the whole product process in collaboration with designers, writers, support staff, and many others. From product concept and research to implementation and deployment, we expect you to own your work and deliver high-quality solutions
- Work directly with customers to solve their problems. The entire company (CEO included) participates in customer support in order to drive empathy for our users and help us build better products
- We work with JavaScript, especially Node/Express and React, and Postgres. It’s helpful if you know these technologies already, if not, we’ll be excited to help you learn
Our take
Substack is an online platform for journalists and writers to manage subscription-based newsletters. Substack has attracted a range of writers and publishers who wish to connect with their audiences while being removed from social media and other ad-based models.
For an industry that has seen a steady decline in its fortunes since the rise of digital, Substack offers journalism an alternative to the advertising-driven clickbait-focused model that has dominated the last decade. Substack has amassed more than 35 million subscribers.
The subscription newsletter space is a competitive market, but Substack claims to provide greater freedom to writers than its competitors. Writers produce their newsletters on the site for free, charging an optional subscription fee (minimum of $5/month) of which Substack takes 10%. The company continues to seek out ways to diversify its offerings, whilst securing funding rounds to expand its reach.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
62% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
Jul 2025
$100m
SERIES C
Nov 2024
$10m
ANGEL
Total funding: $200.3m
Company benefits
- Remote work support - All employees receive a generous allowance to customize their home offices
- Comprehensive health care - Substack covers 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents, and fully funds HRA plans
- Parental leave - We want employees to be fully present for the new members of their family, so we offer generous parental leave
- Flexible vacation and paid time off - You’re the best person to decide when you need a day—or a week—off to travel or decompress. Our flexible vacation policy puts you in control
- Company holidays and Winter shutdown - In addition to flexible time off, we honor 12 paid holidays annually on average. And we close the office between Christmas Eve and New Year's day to recharge each year
- Phone & internet stipends - Many of our employees work from home or on the go. So we offer full time employees a monthly stipend to cover for phone and internet costs
Company HQ
The East Cut, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Chris Best
(CEO & Co-Founder)After several software internships, they co-founded Kik Interactive in 2009, serving as CTO until 2017. At this stage, they founded Substack, and have served as CEO ever since.
Hamish McKenzie
(Chief Writing Officer & Co-Founder)Previously a journalist for several publications include The Independent and Time Out. Lead Writer for Tesla and Editorial Advisor to Kik Interactive.
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