Substack

A place for independent writing.

Full Stack Engineer

$140K - $260KSan Francisco, CA, US
Job type
Full-time
Role
Engineering, Full stack
Experience
3+ years
Visa
US citizen/visa only
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About the role

Substack

Substack lets writers connect with their audience on their own terms and earn money doing it. We make it simple for writers to publish to an email list that they own, get discovered on the web, and charge for subscriptions.

More than 5 million people pay to subscribe to writers across the Substack network, and the top writers make millions of dollars a year. Substack’s model depends on the success of writers using Substack – we only make money when they do.

Make something that matters

Great writing is valuable. It respects readers' time, their intelligence, and their trust. It helps us make sense of and change the culture we live in. At Substack, we're building a business model that enables great writing to thrive. Learn more about our opportunity and mission.

We are a small but growing team, and there is more to build than we could ever imagine. That’s why we need you.

Every person at the company participates in customer support. We do this to build empathy with our users and enable us to build better products.

We believe that a diverse team will help us build a product that best serves the needs of a wildly diverse ecosystem of writers. So whatever your background or perspective, we’d welcome your input to help build the best possible version of Substack.

Engineering at Substack

Full Stack Engineers at Substack are responsible for the core product platform, from frontend UI and testing, to APIs, low-level services, and database operations. Full Stack Engineers work in close partnership with designers, product thinkers, and customers directly to build out new product offerings and tooling across the platform. They are on the front-lines of product development and are responsible for creating what’s next for Substack.

Responsibilities

  • Develop the core Substack product for readers and writers. This is a dynamic organization with needs across the board. We expect that engineers can jump into any area of the product, learn quickly and add value.
  • Scale systems to handle ever-increasing load and a fast-growing ecosystem of writers and readers.
  • Contribute to the whole product process in collaboration with designers, writers, support staff, and many others. From product concept and research to implementation and deployment, we expect you to own your work and deliver high-quality solutions.
  • Work directly with customers to solve their problems. The entire company (CEO included) participates in customer support in order to drive empathy for our users and help us build better products.
  • We work with JavaScript, especially Node/Express and React, and Postgres. It’s helpful if you know these technologies already, if not, we’ll be excited to help you learn.

Requirements

  • At least 5 years of software engineering experience.
  • Can contribute across the full web stack, but may have a deeper passion for certain technologies and systems.
  • Independent and autonomous. We’re too small to micromanage, and expect that every person at the company owns their work and can be a leader.
  • Hold yourself and others to a high standard when working on production systems.
  • Take pride in building elegant and delightful product experiences. Substack works best when it gets out of the way so writers can focus on writing and connecting with their readers.
  • Enjoy collaboration with a diverse group of thinkers while bringing our own unique experience and background to the team.
  • Believe in Substack’s mission to build a better business model for writing.

Substack is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. We're seeking people passionate about enabling independent expression and building a better business model for creators. If you want to see what media, communities, and content can become when unmoored from advertising models, and you have the skills and experience to contribute, we'd love to meet you.

About Substack

Substack is building a new economic engine for culture, giving the most creative and interesting people on the internet the power of their own publishing platform. The terms of our culture shouldn’t be set by legacy media gatekeepers or chaos-fueling social platforms, but by the people who actively shape it. Substack’s model—based on direct subscriptions—has fueled an explosion of independent publishing. It empowers creators with economic autonomy, creative ownership, and a direct connection to their most engaged audiences.

Substack
Founded:2017
Batch:W18
Team Size:90
Status:
Active
Location:San Francisco
Founders
Chris Best
Chris Best
CEO
Hamish McKenzie
Hamish McKenzie
COO
Jairaj Sethi
Jairaj Sethi
Founder