Staff Backend Engineer - Second Horizon

About the Role

Grafana Labs is seeking a Staff-level Backend Engineer to join our 'Second Horizon' skunkworks initiative. This team is building an AI-native data intelligence system designed to provide AI agents with reliable, governed access to enterprise context. You will play a pivotal role in designing and shipping the core backend architecture that powers ingestion, context storage, retrieval APIs, and agent-facing integrations.

Key Responsibilities

• Core Backend Development: Design, implement, and operate services for context ingestion, indexing, retrieval orchestration, and API access.
• Scalable SaaS Architecture: Build a multi-tenant foundation including tenant isolation, usage tracking, quotas, and audit logs.
• Agent-Facing Workflows: Develop APIs and service interfaces for AI agents, MCP tools, and internal applications.
• System Ownership: Instrument services with metrics, logs, and traces; take full ownership of the systems you build from prototype to production.
• Technical Leadership: Shape the architecture, storage choices, API contracts, and engineering practices for this new product area.

What We’re Looking For

• Engineering Expertise: Proven track record of building production-grade, user-facing software systems.
• AI/GenAI Experience: Familiarity with LLMs, prompt engineering, and building applications powered by Generative AI.
• Pragmatic Mindset: Ability to balance fast experimentation with long-term reliability and maintainability.
• Cloud-Native Proficiency: Experience working in cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Observability: Strong experience using observability tools to troubleshoot and improve system behavior.

Requirements

• Must be based in the U.S. or Canada (Residents of Quebec are not eligible).
• Experience with LLMs and GenAI-powered applications.
• Experience delivering production-grade software.
• Proficiency in cloud-native infrastructure and observability practices.

Why Join Grafana Labs?

• 100% Remote Culture: A global, collaborative team across 40+ countries.
• High Autonomy: Work in an innovation-driven environment with trust and transparency.
• Meaningful Work: Build tools that help users understand and improve their systems at scale.
• Generous Leave: 30 days of annual leave, including reserved shutdown days.