--- title: 'Backend Engineer at Lean In' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-lean-in-san-francisco-3tw2xfhcq991' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Backend Engineer at Lean In - **Company:** Lean In - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $130k–$200k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-06-15 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/sgff.org/0da89c8f-0013-4f4e-a5b1-ef8def97a283 ## Job description About Lean In & The Sandberg Bernthal Family Foundation The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation (SGBFF) works to build a more equal and resilient world. We bring people together to support each other through four initiatives: LeanIn.Org, LeanInGirls.Org, OptionB.Org, and the Dave Goldberg Scholarship Program. Through our community, research-based content, and programs, we help women and allies build the skills, confidence, and networks they need to reach their full potential. We believe a more equal world is possible - and that it will take us working together to create it. While the majority of your work will focus on Lean In, this role offers the opportunity to drive impact across multiple mission-driven initiatives. ## THE ROLE We're hiring a Backend Engineer who will architect and maintain the back-end services and data pipelines that power our platforms - and you'll turn the data flowing through them into the metrics and analysis that guide our decisions. Engineer, data engineer, and data scientist all in one seat. This is a unique, high-growth opportunity. As AI reshapes how software and data work together, the people who can both build robust infrastructure and reason rigorously about what the data says are extraordinarily valuable. You'll have real ownership, direct influence on strategy through the metrics you define, and room to grow as our data and platforms scale to serve millions. ## What You'll Do Build the backend - Design, develop, and deploy scalable back-end services, APIs, and database architectures. - Take end-to-end ownership of technical projects, from technical design to production release. - Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code, and troubleshoot and debug across the stack. - Optimize performance, scalability, and security, and implement robust logging and observability. Engineer the data - Build and maintain reliable data pipelines, from raw ingestion to reporting. - Design and optimize data infrastructure and warehousing solutions. - Ensure data quality, governance, and consistency across systems. - Implement logging and instrumentation that make our products measurable. Drive insight and metrics - Partner with leadership and product to define, set, and track our goal metrics. - Build dashboards and visualizations accessible to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. - Design experiments and analyze A/B tests to optimize features and experiences. - Build predictive models and recommendation systems that personalize and strengthen user journeys. - Translate complex analysis into clear, practical recommendations that inform decisions. ## What You Bring - 3+ years in back-end or full-stack engineering, with meaningful data science or analytics experience (or the reverse). - Strong proficiency in a server-side language (Python preferred; Node.js, Ruby, or Java also welcome) and building RESTful APIs. - Strong SQL, plus experience working with both SQL and NoSQL databases. - Strong ability to set goal metrics for a team and track progress over time. - Proven experience building and maintaining data pipelines. - Experience defining and tracking metrics, plus logging and instrumentation. - Experience setting up and running experiments to measure impact. - Data visualization skills and the ability to communicate analysis in a clear, compelling way. - A self-starter who thrives with autonomy and strong problem-solving skills and intellectual curiosity. - Excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication skills. - A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Data Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. - A deep commitment to Lean In's mission to inspire and equip women to lead. - Alignment with the Sandberg Bernthal Family Foundation's initiatives, including building resilience and advancing equality. The Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity without regard to age, race, ethnicity, gender, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. It's important to us that people of all identities and backgrounds see themselves represented and included in our work, so we actively encourage people of all identities and experiences to apply. Before you apply, please review our approach to AI in the hiring process here. ## About Lean In ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Lean In is a global nonprofit that offers free leadership programs, research, and tools to empower women and create more equal workplaces. - **Entity Type**: Private (Nonprofit – part of the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation) - **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States - **Founded**: 2013 - **Founders**: Sheryl Sandberg ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Nonprofit / Women’s Leadership Development / Workplace Equality - **Target customers**: B2B (corporate clients via Lean In Company Programs), B2C (individual women, girls, and allies globally) - **Mission / purpose**: Inspire and equip women to achieve their ambitions and work toward an equal world. ## Products & Services - **Lean In Circles**: Small peer groups that meet regularly to learn and grow using free, research-backed curriculum. - **Lean In Networks**: Larger groups that gather for inspiration and connection. - **Lean In Company Programs**: Free corporate workshops and toolkits, including “50 Ways to Fight Bias,” to build inclusive workplace cultures. - **Lean In Girls**: A research-backed program that builds confidence, resilience, and leadership skills in girls. - **Women in the Workplace Report**: Annual landmark study in partnership with McKinsey & Company – the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not applicable (nonprofit); no valuation disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Annual revenue ~$3M (USD 2,965,106 per LinkedIn [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/leaninorg)). - **Notable Investors / Partners**: McKinsey & Company (research partner); part of the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation (includes OptionB.Org and Dave Goldberg Scholars Program). - **Growth Signals**: Over 150,000 Lean In Circles launched in 180+ countries; 163K+ LinkedIn followers (+27.9% yearly growth); active hiring for engineering and data roles. ## Competitive Advantages - **Brand & Founder**: Sheryl Sandberg’s global visibility and credibility drive reach and trust. - **Free, Research-Backed Resources**: All materials are no-cost and grounded in data, lowering barriers for individuals and companies. - **Scale**: Operates across 180+ countries with a community of millions, giving it unmatched grassroots distribution for a nonprofit. - **Corporate Partnerships**: Direct engagement with companies through program offerings, creating a dual audience (employees + employers). ## Strategic Focus - Expand data-driven insights (annual Women in the Workplace report) to influence corporate policy and public conversation. - Deepen corporate program adoption, especially around bias training and leadership pipelines. - Grow Lean In Girls and other youth-focused initiatives to build early leadership confidence. - Continue scaling global peer communities (Circles & Networks) to sustain engagement. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven culture**: Focus on gender equality and empowering women – meaningful work with visible impact. - **Hybrid work**: Roles listed (Backend Engineer, Data Scientist, Design Engineer) are in San Francisco, CA with a hybrid model [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/sgff.org). - **Small, global team**: ~90 employees across 33 countries; tight-knit environment with autonomy. - **High employer rating**: 4.5/5.0 on LinkedIn (5.0 across work-life, comp, culture, and career for current reviews) [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/leaninorg). - **Key people**: Co-founder Sheryl Sandberg, board members including Tom Bernthal, Katie Mitic, and others with strong tech and nonprofit backgrounds. ## Sources 1. [leanin.org](https://leanin.org/) – Homepage, programs, and Women in the Workplace report. 2. [leanin.org/about](https://leanin.org/about/) – About page: mission, programs, and impact metrics. 3. [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/leaninorg) – Company details, revenue, headcount, employee ratings, growth stats. 4. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/sgff.org) – Current open roles and work location/hybrid policy. ## Other roles at Lean In - [Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/design-engineer-lean-in-san-francisco-920g5dmrmm4w) — San Francisco, CA - [Program Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/program-operations-manager-lean-in-san-francisco-9xywy2e15nv2) — San Francisco, CA - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-oden-technologies-brazil-q3bmtpeqzn3k) — Brazil - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-catawiki-lisbon-e7r4a2e446m3) — Lisbon, Portugal - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-catawiki-amsterdam-g66ppq4k7km0) — Amsterdam, Netherlands - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-cambio-ai-inc-waterloo-073h2mqa2xd4) — Waterloo, Canada - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-orion-innovation-belgrade-k7ny7vqc652f) — Belgrade, Serbia - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-human-tel-aviv-6xzhh7hqkgt5) — Tel Aviv, Israel - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-product-genius-boston-m2htjvv0hs8x) — Boston, MA - [Backend Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-mem0-india-wkk66hv1tw87) — India