Staff Backend Engineer, Agentic AI

Artera Technologies, Inc.

Job Overview

Location

Santa Barbara, California

Job Type

Full-time

Full Job Description

📋 Description

• Artera Technologies is at the forefront of transforming patient experience in healthcare through AI-powered virtual agents. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Staff Backend Engineer to join our dynamic Engineering team and play a pivotal role in defining, evolving, and scaling the core platform that drives our next-generation patient communication solutions. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge advancements in agentic AI, Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, and high-throughput distributed systems, directly impacting the future of healthcare engagement.
• As a Staff Backend Engineer, you will be instrumental in shaping Artera's platform architecture, driving technical excellence across multiple engineering teams, and leading the execution of high-risk, high-impact initiatives that are critical to our long-term success. You will act as a force multiplier, architecting robust, large-scale systems, mentoring fellow engineers, and ensuring our platform remains resilient, performant, and prepared for the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-driven patient engagement.
• Your responsibilities will span across several key areas, beginning with Technical Leadership. You will serve as a recognized domain expert in backend architecture, distributed systems, and high-throughput I/O operations. A significant part of your role will involve driving company-wide architectural patterns, defining our platform strategy, and establishing high engineering standards. You will be tasked with leading the execution of complex, open-ended projects that may span multiple quarters, including critical 2026 initiatives focused on agentic AI and the underlying MCP server infrastructure. A key aspect of this leadership will be owning cross-team architectural buy-in and guiding various teams through significant refactoring and modernization efforts, ensuring alignment and successful implementation.
• In terms of Execution and Delivery, you will be expected to independently design and deliver large-scale features that have a substantial impact across multiple products or services. This requires a systematic approach to reasoning through system-wide implications, meticulously considering edge cases, and making informed performance trade-offs. You will proactively identify and eliminate sources of instability, latency, and operational risk within our systems. Furthermore, you will be comfortable and capable of building new systems from scratch when necessary, particularly for distributed, I/O-intensive applications that form the backbone of our platform.
• Your role will also encompass significant Mentorship and Culture building. You will model engineering maturity through thoughtful code reviews, comprehensive documentation, and clear, effective technical communication. You will actively mentor engineers across different teams, elevating their understanding of architecture, debugging techniques, reliability best practices, and the specific nuances of AI-era development. A crucial element of this is fostering a blameless culture that encourages learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement, ensuring that we learn from every challenge. You will also champion transparency, clear communication, and strong cross-functional collaboration as core tenets of our engineering ethos.
• Collaboration is key to our success. You will partner closely with our Product, Design, and Data/ML teams to translate complex technical ideas into practical, user-centered solutions that drive real value for our healthcare clients. You will provide essential architectural guidance on story-level decisions within your domain, ensuring technical feasibility and scalability. Additionally, you will advocate for engineering-focused improvements in our processes, tooling, reliability efforts, and overall developer experience, contributing to a more efficient and effective engineering organization.
• Artera's mission is to make healthcare 1 in customer service. We deliver AI-powered virtual agents that handle patient communication for scheduling, intake, billing, and more, serving over 1,000 provider organizations and engaging 100 million patients annually. Our platform supports 2 billion communications in 109 languages across voice, text, and web. We have a decade of healthcare expertise powered by AI. Our impact is significant, and our award-winning culture, recognized by Inc. 5000, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, Built In, Forbes, Newsweek, and Business Insider, makes us a top place to work. This role offers the chance to be at the forefront of technological innovation in healthcare, working on systems that directly improve patient access and provider efficiency.

🎯 Requirements

• Proven track record of designing, building, and operating large-scale, high-throughput distributed backend systems, with a strong emphasis on reliability and performance.
• Deep expertise in backend architecture, distributed systems principles, and high-throughput I/O patterns. Experience with agentic AI concepts and MCP server infrastructure is highly desirable.
• Strong experience in system design, performance optimization, and identifying/mitigating operational risks. Ability to build complex systems from scratch.
• Excellent technical leadership, mentorship, and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive architectural decisions and foster a collaborative, blameless engineering culture.

🏖️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity package.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off (PTO) and holidays.
• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.
• A chance to work on cutting-edge AI technology in the rapidly growing digital health sector.
• Be part of an award-winning company culture recognized for innovation and growth.

Skills & Technologies

Backend

Senior

Onsite

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Artera Technologies, Inc.

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About Artera Technologies, Inc.

Artera is a healthcare technology company focused on improving patient care coordination and reducing administrative burden. They provide a platform that connects patients, providers, and payers to streamline communication, manage care pathways, and optimize revenue cycles. Their solutions aim to enhance patient engagement, improve clinical outcomes, and drive operational efficiency within the healthcare ecosystem. Artera serves a range of healthcare organizations, including hospitals, health systems, and physician groups, by leveraging data and automation to create a more connected and effective healthcare experience.

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