Senior Software Engineer, Web API Platform

Scribd•San Francisco, CA

27d

About The Position

About The Company: At Scribd Inc. (pronounced “scribbed”), our mission is to spark human curiosity. Join our team as we create a world of stories and knowledge, democratize the exchange of ideas and information, and empower collective expertise through our four products: Everand, Scribd, Slideshare, and Fable. This posting reflects an approved, open position within the organization. We support a culture where our employees can be real and be bold; where we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and where every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer. When it comes to workplace structure, we believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections. It’s through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex, that employees – in partnership with their manager – can choose the daily work-style that best suits their individual needs. A key tenet of Scribd Flex is our prioritization of intentional in-person moments to build collaboration, culture, and connection. For this reason, occasional in-person attendance is required for all Scribd Inc. employees, regardless of their location. So what are we looking for in new team members? Well, we hire for “GRIT”. The textbook definition of GRIT is demonstrating the intersection of passion and perseverance towards long term goals. At Scribd Inc., we are inspired by the potential that this can unlock, and ask each of our employees to pursue a GRIT-ty approach to their work. In a tactical sense, GRIT is also a handy acronym that outlines the standards we hold ourselves and each other to. Here’s what that means for you: we’re looking for someone who showcases the ability to set and achieve Goals, achieve Results within their job responsibilities, contribute Innovative ideas and solutions, and positively influence the broader Team through collaboration and attitude. At Scribd Inc. (pronounced “scribbed”), our mission is to spark human curiosity. Join our team as we create a world of stories and knowledge, democratize the exchange of ideas and information, and empower collective expertise through our four products: Everand, Scribd, Slideshare, and Fable. This posting reflects an approved, open position within the organization. We support a culture where our employees can be real and be bold; where we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and where every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer. When it comes to workplace structure, we believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections. It’s through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex, that employees – in partnership with their manager – can choose the daily work-style that best suits their individual needs. A key tenet of Scribd Flex is our prioritization of intentional in-person moments to build collaboration, culture, and connection. For this reason, occasional in-person attendance is required for all Scribd Inc. employees, regardless of their location. So what are we looking for in new team members? Well, we hire for “GRIT”. The textbook definition of GRIT is demonstrating the intersection of passion and perseverance towards long term goals. At Scribd Inc., we are inspired by the potential that this can unlock, and ask each of our employees to pursue a GRIT-ty approach to their work. In a tactical sense, GRIT is also a handy acronym that outlines the standards we hold ourselves and each other to. Here’s what that means for you: we’re looking for someone who showcases the ability to set and achieve Goals, achieve Results within their job responsibilities, contribute Innovative ideas and solutions, and positively influence the broader Team through collaboration and attitude. About the Team The Web Platform team is part of our Developer Platform organization and supports our broader Web Modernization efforts across the company. Our mission is to help product teams move faster by providing a scalable, well-designed API foundation that supports modern web architectures. We work across the organization to reduce coupling, improve developer experience, and establish durable integration patterns between frontend experiences and backend systems. We operate with high autonomy and a long-term mandate. The platform we build will shape how teams develop, ship, and evolve our web products over time. About the Role We are hiring a Senior Software Engineer, Web API Platform to help establish a company-wide API platform that accelerates web modernization at Scribd. In this role, you will design, build, and own new product-facing web APIs that span our full web product surface across Scribd and Everand. These APIs will serve as the primary interface between modern web applications and existing backend systems, enabling teams to evolve toward more scalable, maintainable frontend architectures with confidence. Today, our web product relies on fragmented data access patterns and lacks standardized APIs and tooling. This role offers the opportunity to design APIs intentionally with a focus on clear contracts, predictable performance, and strong observability, improving developer experience and enabling teams to ship faster and more safely. This team will be the primary owner of product-facing web APIs. As the platform matures, the Web Platform team will design, implement, and maintain the majority of new web APIs, while providing a stable foundation that other teams can integrate with and extend when appropriate. You will work closely with frontend and backend teams to define integration patterns, guide API usage, and ensure the platform scales with real-world data volumes and access patterns. What You’ll Bring Key Attributes Strong ownership mindset, owning API design and implementation from initial design through production, iteration, and long-term maintenance. Pragmatic approach to system design, balancing ideal architecture with real-world constraints Ability to design performance-aware APIs with intentional constraints that scale safely Strong collaborator who works with frontend & backend teams toward better performance and integration outcomes Long-term perspective on maintainability, extensibility, and developer experience

Requirements

6+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong backend or platform focus
Proven experience designing APIs for high-volume or data-intensive product workflows
Experience implementing and integrating APIs with a Ruby on Rails application
Familiarity with modern API paradigms (e.g., REST, GraphQL, gRPC), including their performance and operational tradeoffs
Experience with query patterns, caching, pagination, and common performance pitfalls
Experience designing APIs with explicit contracts, versioning, and testing strategies
Experience working with modern web frontends (e.g., React, Next.js, or similar)
Strong communication skills and experience championing API design across teams
Hands-on experience incorporating AI-assisted tools into development workflows (e.g., debugging, testing, documentation, or design exploration)

Nice To Haves

You’ve designed APIs where performance characteristics were explicit and intentional, not accidental
You consider observability, failure modes, and system health as part of API design, not afterthoughts
You’re comfortable placing thoughtful constraints on API consumers to protect scalability and developer experience
You treat APIs and developer tooling as products, not just infrastructure
You care deeply about how backend and API decisions impact end users
You enjoy greenfield work, while navigating integration with existing systems
You bring informed opinions and enjoy refining them through discussion and iteration

Benefits

Healthcare Insurance Coverage (Medical/Dental/Vision): 100% paid for employees
12 weeks paid parental leave
Short-term/long-term disability plans
401k/RSP matching
Onboarding stipend for home office peripherals + accessories
Learning & Development allowance
Learning & Development programs
Quarterly stipend for Wellness, WiFi, etc.
Mental Health support & resources
Free subscription to the Scribd Inc. suite of products
Referral Bonuses
Book Benefit
Sabbaticals
Company-wide events
Team engagement budgets
Vacation & Personal Days
Paid Holidays (+ winter break)
Flexible Sick Time
Volunteer Day
Company-wide Employee Resource Groups and programs that foster an inclusive and diverse workplace.
Access to AI Tools: We provide free access to best-in-class AI tools, empowering you to boost productivity, streamline workflows, and accelerate bold innovation.