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Software Engineer

Build and maintain a scalable backend infrastructure for a global research index, powering billions of API ...

Contribute to OpenAlex's mission of providing open access to scholarly research data. Develop and improve the backend systems, including SQL, PySpark, Python/Flask APIs, Elasticsearch, and Cloudflare Workers. Enjoy autonomy in a small, grant-funded nonprofit team, with AI agents as your coding collaborators.

Why This Role?

Be part of a small team with significant autonomy and direct impact on a global research resource.

Key Responsibilities

  • Design and implement backend solutions to support high-volume API requests.
  • Collaborate with AI agents to write and maintain code.
  • Ensure data integrity and system scalability using SQL and PySpark.
  • Develop and optimize Python/Flask APIs for data retrieval.
  • Manage and tune Elasticsearch for efficient indexing and searching.

Requirements

  • Proficiency in SQL, Python, and web development frameworks (Flask).
  • Experience with big data processing using PySpark.
  • Knowledge of Elasticsearch and Cloudflare Workers.
  • Understanding of API design and performance optimization.
  • Experience in a collaborative, agile environment.

Required Skills

sqlpysparkpythonflaskelasticsearchSoftware developmentBackend engineeringAPI designData processingCloud infrastructureCollaboration

Indonesia Context

Working Hours Overlap:
Flexible — work your own hours
See remote (USD) vs local pay →
View Original Description from HN Who is Hiring

Original description from HN Who is Hiring

OpenAlex | Software Engineer | Remote | Full-time | $150–200k USD OpenAlex is an open index of the world's scholarly research: hundreds of millions of articles linked to authors, institutions, and topics, free via API and bulk download. Traffic runs about a billion API calls per month from universities, governments, and AI companies. The team behind it is a small nonprofit funded by grants and enterprise support. We're hiring two engineers to work across the whole backend, which is SQL and PySpark on Databricks, Python/Flask APIs, Elasticsearch, and Cloudflare Workers. It's a small team with lots of autonomy. You'll notice what's missing, build it, ship it, and answer the tickets about it. We're AI-native, with agents writing all of our code. Apply here: https://openalex.org/jobs/software-engineer

Salary Context

Similar Engineering roles on LokerDollar pay around $170k/yr (range $855–1000k/yr, n=709 active listings).

Iklan

Openness not stated by employer — check the listing

Company
OpenAlex
Job Type
full time
Location
Remote · Open worldwide
Category
Seniority
mid
PostedNewNew & verified
Sep 1, 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Is Software Engineer at OpenAlex a remote job?
Yes. Software Engineer at OpenAlex is a fully remote role open to candidates worldwide.
What type of employment is Software Engineer at OpenAlex?
This is a full time position.
How do I apply?
Click the "Apply" button on this page to go to the official application at OpenAlex.

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