Software Engineer

Backend / Future AI Lead Engineer - Torch Systems (Bay Area)
About Torch
Torch is building the most accurate outdoor wildfire detection system in the world - a network of advanced IoT sensors and AI models that save lives, protect communities, and prevent billions in damage. We’re a small but high-performing team, backed by top-tier investors, with real deployments protecting critical infrastructure across California.
We’re looking for a
Bay Area-based Backend Engineer
who can immediately take ownership of our backend stack — and, over time, grow into our
Lead AI Engineer
as we scale our data pipeline, ML models, and real-time alerting systems. This is an opportunity to be at the intersection of climate tech, AI, and mission-critical hardware.
What You’ll Do
Own and maintain our backend systems from day one.
Develop APIs and services in
Node.js
(Fastify or similar frameworks).
Manage deployments using
Docker
and
Linux
.
Design and maintain scalable
REST APIs
with proper documentation in
Swagger
.
Collaborate with our hardware and frontend teams to ensure seamless data flow.
Work with massive real-world sensor datasets to prepare for AI/ML pipelines.
Stay ahead of AI trends and help transition Torch into a data + AI powerhouse.
Tech Stack & Requirements
JavaScript / Node.js
— 3+ years professional experience (5+ years if aiming for Lead).
Strong experience with
Docker
,
Linux
server management.
Fastify or other Node.js framework expertise.
REST API design and implementation.
Swagger (OpenAPI) documentation experience.
Bonus: Familiarity with
AI/ML tools
(PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, etc.).
Located in the
San Francisco Bay Area
(on-site collaboration preferred).
You Are
A
builder
who thrives in early-stage environments.
Comfortable switching between backend work and AI/ML experimentation.
Energized by ownership — you see problems, you solve them.
Excited by the mission of protecting people and infrastructure from wildfires.
Why Torch
Mission with real-world impact.
Significant ownership of your work.
Small, elite team backed by top-tier VCs.
Path to becoming
Lead AI Engineer
as we scale our data and AI stack.