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
Indonesia Context
- Working Hours Overlap:
- Flexible — work your own hours
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).
Openness not stated by employer — check the listing
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.
Explore related
Market data & reports
Salary & skill-demand research built from our own listings data.
- Indonesia IT Jobs vs Global Remote (2026)Primary analysis of 2,049 listings: methodology, classification rules, downloadable datasets.
- AI-Skill Demand: Indonesia vs Global Remote (2026)10,000+ postings, taxonomy-first classifier, Wilson CIs, pre-registered before analysis.
- Remote ≠ Remote: The Skills That Open Global Work to Indonesians (2026)12,891 remote listings: the highest-paid coding skills are the most geo-locked for Indonesia-based applicants. CC BY 4.0 aggregate dataset.
- Indonesia Hiring Report: Tech vs Non-TechJob demand by field from aggregate open-job counts — never individual listings.
- Indonesia Salary BenchmarkAggregate salary ranges across roles, with open methodology and dataset.
- Indonesian Remote Work Salary & Demand IndexHow much of the global remote job corpus is open to Indonesia, and what it pays (USD) by role.
- Indonesia Quarterly Labor Market ReportLayoffs, funding, salaries & skills per quarter — open aggregates.
- Remote Market Reports by RoleAuto-generated per role family — skills, seniority, companies, salary.
- Global Remote Salary BenchmarkAnnual salary by role & currency, plus the share of listings open worldwide.
From the blog
- Remote Work Salary Myths: Are Viral JobsViral videos claim high-paying remote roles for everyone. We cut through the hype to find out what entry-level USD remote jobs actually look like.
- Remote Jobs: Exploring Telus AlternativesDiscover remote job opportunities with Telus alternatives, salary ranges, and in-demand skills. Learn how to find and apply for remote jobs globally.
- Remote Job Market Update: September 2026Explore the latest remote job trends, salary comparisons, and hiring insights from top global companies.