Senior Software Engineer, NYT Cooking

Mission

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company.

Overview

Senior Software Engineer – NYT Cooking API team. Focuses on building backend systems and APIs that power interactive, AI‑driven recipe experiences across NYT Cooking.

Collaborates with product, design, editorial, and data teams to create seamless cooking experiences for millions of users on web, iOS, and Android.

This is a hybrid role reporting to the Engineering Manager within the Technology team.

Responsibilities

• Designing and building scalable APIs and backend services for web and mobile applications using GraphQL and REST.
• Developing backend systems using Go, Ruby, TypeScript, or Java.
• Working with SQL databases, PostgreSQL, including data modeling and query optimization.
• Working with search technologies such as Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, or other distributed data systems.
• Monitoring, troubleshooting, and improving complex systems using observability tools such as Datadog, Sentry, log analysis, and dashboards.
• Working with cloud infrastructure platforms such as AWS or GCP and containerized deployment environments including Docker and Kubernetes.
• Leading projects through the full software development lifecycle from design to delivery while collaborating with partners and teams.
• Partnering effectively with both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Mentoring engineers through technical discussions, code reviews, collaboration, and pair programming.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience designing and implementing scalable APIs and backend services for web and mobile applications using GraphQL and REST.
• 5+ years of experience developing backend systems using Go, Ruby, TypeScript, or Java.
• 5+ years of experience working with SQL databases, particularly PostgreSQL, including data modeling and query performance optimization.
• 3+ years of experience working with distributed systems and search technologies such as Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, with observability tools including Datadog, Sentry, log analysis, and dashboards.
• 3+ years of experience working with cloud infrastructure platforms such as AWS or GCP and containerized deployment technologies including Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience leading projects through the full software development lifecycle, collaborating cross‑functionally with technical and non‑technical stakeholders, and mentoring engineers through code reviews, pairing, and technical discussions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with GraphQL federation and building scalable subgraphs within larger distributed architectures.
• Experience with search and recommendation technologies, including Elasticsearch relevance tuning, semantic search, and ML/LLM‑driven product features.
• Strong experience with Go and/or Ruby on Rails, particularly building and maintaining API‑driven services and backend systems.
• Experience with infrastructure and developer tooling, including Terraform, CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Drone, Jenkins), automation, release engineering, and LLM evaluation tools such as Braintrust.

Compensation

Annual base pay range: $140,000 – $160,000 USD.

Benefits

Benefits may include medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, a company‑matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation and sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement, and professional development programs.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic traits, carrier status, citizenship, veteran status, or other protected characteristics. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here . The Company encourages those with criminal histories to apply and will comply with applicable fair chance laws. The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws.