Software Engineer, Whatnot

IAM

$230-260k

+ Equity

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

GCP

JavaScript

Python

Elixir

Terraform

Senior and Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

More information about location

Live stream platform & marketplace for collectibles

Be an early applicant

Live stream platform & marketplace for collectibles

501-1000 employees

B2CMarketplaceToysSocialSocial MediaConsumer Goods

Be an early applicant

$230-260k

+ Equity

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

GCP

JavaScript

Python

Elixir

Terraform

Senior and Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

More information about location

501-1000 employees

B2CMarketplaceToysSocialSocial MediaConsumer Goods

Company mission

Whatnot missions is to enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.

Job

Company

Role

Who you are

Curious about who thrives at Whatnot? We’ve found that embodying a low ego, growth mindset, and high-impact drive goes a long way here
As our next Software Engineer, you should have 5+ years of infrastructure engineering experience, building scalable systems that can handle millions of users, plus:
Experience with large distributed systems handling substantial traffic
Previous experience at a hyper-growth startup. You’re a self-starter who can hit the ground running with little direction
Self-driven with result-oriented mindset
Excellent communication and writing skills
Exceptional coding skills and the ability to ship new products lightning-fast. We primarily use Python, Elixir, JavaScript, but previous knowledge of each is not required
Knowledge in areas like cryptography, networking, authentication, and authorization is crucial
Experience in implementing security measures such as encryption, access controls, data minimization, and regular audits to safeguard PII
Nice to have a prior experience in a public cloud environment (AWS, GCP) using Kubernetes, Docker, and/or Terraform

What the job involves

You will work in cross-functional, multidisciplinary teams, allowing you to directly shape the security and integrity of our user account systems
Your goal will be to minimize risk and potential abuse by ensuring robust authentication, authorization, and access controls across our environment
You will empower other teams to move fast without compromising user trust by delivering secure-by-default infrastructure, scalable permissioning systems, and reliable storage for sensitive user data
Your designs, code, and ideas will contribute to solving some of the most complex technical challenges we face today and help define future engineering initiatives
Some sample projects you might work on are:
Authentication
Authorization
Permissions
Access control systems across the environment
Building a secure storage for PII user data

Our take

The collectible toy market is large, and Whatnot has built a unique social platform that enables sellers to use livestreams to showcase their products and reach more buyers. The company’s focus is on collectible toys, some of which are rare and can cost thousands of dollars, and has also expanded to sports cards.

The idea of Whatnot was led by buyer trends. Instagram's live feature became a popular place for selling toys and trading cards, but of course was not set up to facilitate bidding or handling payments after a sale occurs. Whatnot combines live showcasing with follow-up sale capabilities, thus serving the community in a more novel way than established collectibles market players such as eBay.

The company has grown fast. It was established in 2019 and has already expanded from its original category - Funko Pop figurines - to Pokemon cards, pins, sports cards, and many more. There is still plenty of scope for expanding into new categories, as the company aims to establish itself as the go-to for this large niche, which will be facilitated by the strong levels of funding that Whatnot has raised.

Steph

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Insights

Top investors

54% employee growth in 12 months

Glassdoor (4.9)

Trustpilot (4.2)

Company

Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)

Jan 2025

$265m

SERIES E

Jul 2022

$260m

SERIES D

Total funding: $749.2m

Company benefits

Wellness: Health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. We also cover some of the cost for your dependents as well.
Compensation: Full-time Whatnauts receive equity, a WFH stipend to support your remote workspace and a monthly stipend to dogfood the app.
Recharge: Flexible Time Off policy, holiday week off at the end of year, and paid parental leave after 1 year with us.
Flexibility: Remote-first work culture. We provide a working environment where you're in charge of your time and schedule.

Company HQ

Marina del Rey, CA

Leadership

Grant LaFontaine

(Co-Founder & CEO)

Former Product Marketing Manager at Google, Project Manager at Facebook. Also co-founded Kit.

Logan Head

(Co-Founder)

Experience in Engineering, including at Maker's Row, Factr, and Flight Club. Former Senior Product Manager at GOAT.

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