Sr. Engineer, Backend - Lightning (Hybrid)
CrowdStrike · Sunnyvale, CA
About this role
CrowdStrike is hiring a senior-level Backend Engineer in the software engineering function based in Sunnyvale, CA. The posting calls out experience with Python, Java, Go, Kotlin. Compensation is listed at $140,000–$215,000 per year.
- Role
- Backend Engineer
- Function
- software engineering
- Level
- senior
- Track
- Individual contributor
- Employment
- Full-time
- Location
- Sunnyvale, CA
- Posted
- May 14, 2026
More roles at CrowdStrike
Job description
from CrowdStrike careersAs a global leader in cybersecurity, CrowdStrike protects the people, processes and technologies that drive modern organizations. Since 2011, our mission hasn’t changed — we’re here to stop breaches, and we’ve redefined modern security with the world’s most advanced AI-native platform. We work on large scale distributed systems, processing almost 3 trillion events per day and this traffic is growing daily. Our customers span all industries, and they count on CrowdStrike to keep their businesses running, their communities safe and their lives moving forward. We’re also a mission-driven company. We cultivate a culture that gives every CrowdStriker both the flexibility and autonomy to own their careers. We’re always looking to add talented CrowdStrikers to the team who have limitless passion, a relentless focus on innovation and a fanatical commitment to our customers, our community and each other. Ready to join a mission that matters? The future of cybersecurity starts with you.
About the Role:
Crowdstrike Falcon Platform's 'Lightning' suite is a suite of services in the CrowdStrike cloud that expose sub-second, near-real-time APIs enabling Falcon Sensors to rapidly obtain threat information. Operating at massive scale, Lightning processes trillions of threat events daily within tight latency constraints — where performance and availability are critical to sensor operation and customer protection.
The Lightning Team is seeking a Senior Software Developer (commonly translates to ‘Staff/Sr Staff’ titles in other companies). This product is responsible for the cloud services that provide security information to the endpoint agent in near-real-time. The services that store this information aren’t always near-real-time themselves, so we use a variety of strategies for caching, backpressure, and partial responses. You’ll be building high-quality systems that scale cleanly and reliably, primarily in Go (and also some Python). We’re involved across the entire product line and you’ll work closely with other groups across the company.
This role is hybrid, requiring 2-3 days per week on-site in one of the posted locations. This is a welcoming and flexible team that prizes collaboration over competition, providing opportunities to learn new skills, mentor developers at all levels, and contribute to the direction of both the team and its products. This is a high trust environment where team members manage their own time, take time off as needed, and are rewarded with competitive salaries and equity.
What You'll Do:
Build and evolve cloud-based systems to detect and disrupt targeted attacks at a global scale.
Brainstorm, design, and build collaboratively with members across multiple teams.
Build elegant and performant solutions for complex technical problems in Go.
Read and critique code in the multiple programming languages in use in our environment (Go, Python, Unix shell, among others), and provide technical guidance and feedback to team members
Focus on continual learning, raising the bar for both yourself and your teammates.
Leverage our understanding of engineering best practices, including topics like appropriate testing paradigms, effective peer code reviews, logging, and resilient architecture patterns, to ensure that our code is clean.
Be an energetic ‘self-starter’ with the ability to take ownership and be accountable for deliverables, both individually and when leading a team.
Deliver and accept feedback with grace and courtesy.
Collaborate on determining root causes of production outages and adding quality improvements to prevent outages in the future.
Crowdstrike is a remote-friendly company, but we do get together from time to time. Some travel will be required for in-person meetings.
What You'll Need:
A computer science background or equivalent experience (programming styles, data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, etc.) with at least 5(+) years building backend systems in a SaaS, cloud platform or other SOA.
8+ years of experience building and scaling back-end systems in production.
Expertise in any of: Golang, Python, Java, Kotlin, Scala
Strong experience in a cloud distributed systems stack: i.e. Kubernetes, Cassandra, Redis, Kafka, Elastic Search, and/or similar technologies. You don’t need all of these specifically, but transferrable skills in each category are a must.
Deep understanding of distributed systems and scalability challenges.
Prior experience with cloud services, such as AWS or Azure, particularly compute and storage offerings.
Team player skills – we embrace collaboration.
Experience developing and deploying into Linux.
Both a sense of humor and a sense of humility.
Bonus Points:
Prior experience with building, operating, validating, and scaling low-latency internet services.
Experience with building and shipping cloud-connected endpoint software.
Prior experience working within scalable microservices architectures.
Prior experience with containerization and container orchestration technology such as docker and Kubernetes.
Exposure to/experience with cybersecurity and intelligence.
#LI-MP2
#HTF
This role will require the candidate to periodically undergo and pass additional background and fingerprint check(s) consistent with government customer requirements.Benefits of Working at CrowdStrike:
Market leader in compensation and equity awards
Comprehensive physical and mental wellness programs
Competitive vacation and holidays for recharge
Paid parental and adoption leaves
Professional development opportunities for all employees regardless of level or role
Employee Networks, geographic neighborhood groups, and volunteer opportunities to build connections
Vibrant office culture with world class amenities
Great Place to Work Certified™ across the globe
CrowdStrike is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging where everyone is valued for who they are and empowered to succeed. We support veterans and individuals with disabilities through our affirmative action program.
CrowdStrike is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy or pregnancy-related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, veteran status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, or any other characteristic protected by law. We base all employment decisions--including recruitment, selection, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, promotions, transfers, lay-offs, return from lay-off, terminations and social/recreational programs--on valid job requirements.
If you need assistance accessing or reviewing the information on this website or need help submitting an application for employment or requesting an accommodation, please contact us at recruiting@crowdstrike.com for further assistance.
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CrowdStrike participates in the E-Verify program.
Notice of E-Verify Participation
CrowdStrike, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Placement within the pay range is dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications, job level, supervisory status, and location. The base salary range for this position for all U.S. candidates is $140,000 - $215,000 per year, with eligibility for bonuses, equity grants and a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, 401k and paid time off.For detailed information about the U.S. benefits package, please click here.