Backend Engineer, AI Interview Engine (Python)

About the role

Surgo Health builds the behavioral intelligence layer for healthcare, using AI to predict what people will do next and help organizations make decisions that change outcomes. It is looking for a Backend Engineer to join the R&D Engineering team behind Derin, an AI-powered interview platform. The role owns the survey definition language and its execution, the agent's conversational behavior, the APIs and data, and the cloud infrastructure, in a small team.

Key responsibilities

• Use AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor and others) to design, build, debug and optimize code
• Build and scale the backend of the AI interview engine in Python (FastAPI, serverless on Azure)
• Evolve how surveys are defined and executed, and shape how the LLM interviewer behaves
• Integrate messaging, voice and participant-recruitment channels
• Design data models and migrations on PostgreSQL and expose data to dashboards, exports and the data platform
• Own reliability and observability: automated tests, monitoring, tracing and alerting
• Work with infrastructure as code (Terraform), CI/CD and secrets management on Azure
• Build security, privacy and compliance into handling sensitive participant data in a SOC 2 and HIPAA-compliant environment
• Write design documents, review teammates' work and collaborate with product, research scientists, frontend and data engineers

Required profile

• At least 3 years of backend development experience in Python
• Proven experience designing and running APIs in production (FastAPI or similar)
• Built LLM-driven applications in production, including prompt design, structured outputs, tool use or agents
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure, including serverless or event-driven architectures
• University degree in Computer Science or a related field
• Fluent English, written and spoken, and comfortable working remotely with substantial overlap with US Eastern and UK hours

Required skills

• PostgreSQL, ORMs and migrations (SQLAlchemy/SQLModel, Alembic)
• Testing (pytest), code review and CI/CD
• Plus: TypeScript (Node.js/NestJS or React), Terraform, conversational and voice products

What we offer

• Competitive compensation, with possible annual performance-based bonuses and equity
• Professional development opportunities
• A public benefit corporation with an impact and equity mission