Topstep is looking to modernize its platform and improve the trader experience by establishing architectural patterns that enable teams to move fast with confidence while maintaining reliability and performance. The Staff Full Stack Engineer will play a foundational role in shaping this modernization.
Requirements
- Strong full-stack foundation with expertise in both backend API design (GraphQL, REST) and modern frontend development (React, Next.js, TypeScript)
- Deep PostgreSQL knowledge including schema design, query optimization, indexing strategies, and understanding of transaction isolation and consistency patterns
- Proven GraphQL expertise designing schemas, implementing resolvers, optimizing queries (N+1 problems, data loader patterns), and building maintainable API layers
- Modern frontend mastery with Next.js, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS, including Server Components, hydration patterns, and performance optimization
- Production ownership mindset with experience building observable, testable, and maintainable systems including instrumentation, error handling, and debugging distributed issues
- Solid understanding of distributed systems including event-driven architectures, message queues, eventual consistency, and handling race conditions
- Familiarity with event-driven architectures using systems like NATS, Kafka, or similar message brokers
Responsibilities
- Set technical direction for full-stack architecture across the engineering organization, influencing how we design APIs, structure frontends, and ensure system reliability
- Own end-to-end feature development from Postgres schema design through GraphQL APIs to Next.js UI, ensuring seamless integration and optimal performance
- Establish engineering patterns for GraphQL schema design, React component architecture, state management, and API/UI coupling that other teams can adopt
- Drive architectural improvements during our modernization initiative, helping transition from monolithic systems to event-driven microservices while maintaining feature velocity
- Lead technical initiatives that materially improve developer experience, system performance, or code quality across the organization
- Mentor engineers across teams on full-stack best practices, architectural thinking, and production ownership
- Champion quality and reliability by embedding testing, monitoring, and operational thinking into every feature you ship
Other
- 7+ years of professional experience building production web applications, with demonstrated impact establishing patterns and practices that scaled across multiple teams
- Partner with product and design to translate trader needs into technical solutions that balance user experience with system constraints
- Track record of technical leadership through RFCs, architectural documentation, code reviews, and establishing engineering standards
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical trade-offs to varied audiences and build consensus across teams
- Comfortable making pragmatic decisions balancing long-term architectural vision with immediate business needs and feature delivery
