---
title: 'Backend Engineer at Treeswift Inc'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/backend-engineer-treeswift-inc-new-york-d1zar81z452w'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-18'
---

# Backend Engineer at Treeswift Inc

- **Company:** Treeswift Inc
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-04-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/treeswift/0bcdd90c-67d5-4371-a56d-dfedd15ffe7f

## Job description

About Treeswift: In the face of rising threats, increasing pressure on affordability, and unprecedented demand for power, Treeswift empowers energy companies to modernize their field work to meet the growth and challenges ahead. We build physical AI for the field worker: whether on foot or in a vehicle, our technology is an ironman suit for engineers, linemen, and vegetation crews: same worker, same boots on the ground, now operating at 10x productivity. Our platform is powered by cutting edge hardware, sensors (LiDAR, camera, etc…), AI and software designed to revolutionize work in the toughest environments. Our technology has enabled our customers to reduce wildfire risk, regulatory and outage risk from vegetation, avoid delays and cost overruns in new construction, and accelerate recovery from severe storms. To tackle this challenge, we are bringing together a team of mission-driven experts with deep industry experience in robotics (Penn, Caltech, CMU) and enterprise software development (Palantir, Stripe, Oracle, MongoDB). We have raised funding from leading investors including Penny Pritzker’s Inspired Capital. We are headquartered in midtown Manhattan, with additional offices in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Our growth is only accelerating. We’re looking for deeply curious and highly ambitious people who want to have a real world impact. Come build the future of (field) work with us.

## About the role

- Build and own the backend services and infrastructure behind our web platform, the system our utility customers rely on to act on the analytics we derive from field data. Our backend is primarily Python (Django) backed by PostgreSQL with geospatial capabilities, running on Kubernetes in AWS. You'll work across the full lifecycle: data modeling, API design, authentication, deployment, and operations. This is a role for someone who wants to own systems end-to-end and help scale a platform that is growing rapidly alongside our customer base.
- Be comfortable engaging directly with our customers to help build product understanding. Thanks to our close partnerships with some of the largest and most complex utilities in the United States, you will have the opportunity to see the impact of your work in the real-world by observing users use our product on a daily basis.
- Stay curious, collaborative, and cross-functional while also taking ownership of problems. We translate complex, real-world requirements from a critical industry into high-quality data products, so understanding the business holistically is key. We take pride in managing complexity and providing high-fidelity data that our customers can use to make better-informed decisions.

## What You'll Do

- Design, build, and maintain the REST APIs that serve our React frontend and integrate with internal services, owning API design decisions and ensuring our OpenAPI specs stay accurate for frontend type generation
- Develop and evolve our PostgreSQL data layer, including geospatial queries via PostGIS, schema migrations, and data modeling for complex domain objects like patrols, work orders, tree inspections, and geospatial boundaries
- Own deployment and infrastructure for our backend services, including Docker containerization, Kubernetes deployments on AWS EKS, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code with Terraform/OpenTofu
- Collaborate closely with the data platform and ML teams whose pipelines produce the data your APIs serve, and with frontend engineers who consume them daily.

## Experience / Skills

- You have 7+ years of backend engineering experience building and operating production web services
- You are proficient in Python and comfortable with Django's ORM, migrations, and middleware model (or a comparable framework like FastAPI)
- You have experience with PostgreSQL or a solid understanding of database fundamentals: schema design, query optimization, migrations, and operational basics
- You have hands-on experience with writing your code to run in Docker: containerized deployments, resource configuration, debugging pod issues, and working with CI/CD pipelines
- You understand authentication and authorization patterns: OAuth2, OIDC, JWT validation, and session management
- You communicate clearly across technical and non-technical teams and thrive in a collaborative, fast-moving environment

Bonus Points For

- Experience with Kubernetes and Terraform/OpenTofu
- Experience with geospatial data (PostGIS, GeoJSON, GeoDjango) or domains involving sensor data
- Experience with Keycloak or identity provider administration
- Prior experience at an early-stage startup where you've had to build and iterate quickly with limited resources
- Interest in utilities, infrastructure, and/or field operations and how software supports those domains.

## What We Value

- Mission first. We value team members who are focused on working towards the best outcomes for the customer and the business.
- Curiosity. We are constantly learning – from each other and from our customers. We aren't afraid to learn we were wrong in the process and adapt our approach accordingly.
- Owner's mindset. If you see an opportunity for improvement, run with it. We believe that good ideas can come from anywhere, no matter your role.

## Benefits

- Competitive salary and equity package
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your eligible dependents
- Life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage
- 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave to support all new parents
- Flexible, unlimited paid time off
- 401(k) retirement savings plan
- Free OneMedical membership
- Commuter benefits
- Snacks, goodies, and team lunches provided twice a week to keep you fueled and connected with your colleagues.

The estimated base salary range for this role is $180,000 to $230,000. Final compensation is determined by skills, experience, qualifications, and location, and does not include the value of any bonuses, benefits, or long-term incentives. This range is disclosed in compliance with the New York City Human Rights Law and applies to NYC-based roles. Compensation may vary for candidates located outside of New York City. Treeswift is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, whether it be alternate forms of material, accessible meeting rooms, etc., please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs. Treeswift  is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, whether it be alternate forms of material, accessible meeting rooms, etc., please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

## About Treeswift Inc

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Treeswift builds physical AI and robotics solutions that augment field crews for utility grid construction, vegetation management, and asset inspection.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (also maintains an office in lower Manhattan)
- **Founded**: 2020
- **Founders**: Steven Chen (CEO & Co-Founder), Bianca Rahill-Marier (COO & Co-Founder), Michael Shomin (CTO & Co-Founder), Vaibhav Arcot (Co-Founder & Senior Software Engineer)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Physical AI / Robotics for Utility Infrastructure & Vegetation Management
- **Target customers**: Large electric utilities across the United States (including PG&E and two of the other five largest utilities in the country)
- **Mission statement**: Build physical AI that puts people at the center of the work, not on the sidelines — helping the people who build and maintain the physical world get more done.

## Products & Services
- **Treeswift Field Data Platform**: A software platform that integrates with utilities’ existing GIS and planning tools. It processes data from backpack and vehicle-mounted sensors (imagery, LiDAR, GPS, voice) to deliver actionable analytics and 360° field context for construction, vegetation management, asset inspections, and disaster response.
- **Backpack & Vehicle-Mounted Sensors**: Hardware kits that seamlessly integrate into existing patrols (on foot or by vehicle) to gather high-resolution ground measurements in any environment — from city sidewalks to remote backcountry.
- **AI-Powered Analytics Engine**: Computer vision and machine learning tools that translate raw field data into automated measurements, counts, forms, and reports — reducing the manual busywork for highly skilled field crews.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$21.7M** across multiple rounds; estimated annual revenue of **$2.1M**
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Inspired Capital (Penny Pritzker), Pathbreaker Ventures, Crosslink Capital, TenOneTen Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, National Science Foundation (grant)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew **100% YoY** (from ~11 to 36 employees)
  - Active job postings up **550% year-over-year**
  - Works with PG&E and two of the five largest U.S. utilities
  - Filed 5 patents (topics include forest ecology, forest management, forest modelling)
  - Expanding into disaster response and black sky (storm/outage) use cases

## Competitive Advantages
- **Niche focus on electric grid labor augmentation**: Addresses a critical and growing need as electricity demand surges from data centers and new industry — utilities must build and maintain more infrastructure while managing wildfire, storm, and compliance risks.
- **PhD-level robotics & AI team**: Founders and technical leads hold PhDs from University of Pennsylvania, Caltech, and Carnegie Mellon University, with deep expertise in robot perception, machine learning, and autonomous systems.
- **Enterprise DNA**: Leadership team includes former product leaders from Palantir Foundry (built the product suite for business users), plus veterans from Stripe, Oracle, and MongoDB.
- **Field operations expertise**: Team includes arborists and vegetation management specialists from the National Park Service and USFS, giving them rare domain credibility with utility crews.
- **Patented technology**: 5 patents covering autonomous scanning, forest representation, and tracking/monitoring of geographic regions.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling across the U.S. utility market**: Expanding partnerships with major utilities beyond PG&E to address the nationwide grid modernization challenge.
- **Expanding use cases**: Moving from vegetation management into construction monitoring, asset inspection, and disaster response (both proactive “blue sky” and reactive “black sky” scenarios).
- **Growing the engineering and field operations teams**: 13 active job openings spanning machine learning, site reliability, hardware operations, recruiting, finance, and deployment.
- **Product development**: Continuing to build AI that works in any environment (urban, remote, all weather conditions) and integrates with any system utilities already use.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: Tackle critical infrastructure and climate resilience challenges — helping prevent wildfires, improve grid reliability, and keep electricity affordable.
- **Cutting-edge technology**: Work on physical AI combining robotics, computer vision, LiDAR, and machine learning in real-world outdoor environments.
- **Strong team culture**: Described as “mission-driven experts” with backgrounds in robotics research (Penn, Caltech, CMU) and enterprise software (Palantir, Stripe, Oracle, MongoDB).
- **High growth trajectory**: 100% headcount growth YoY, recently closed Series A, and expanding rapidly with 13 open positions.
- **Hybrid/office presence**: Headquarters in Philadelphia (3401 Grays Ferry Ave) with an additional office in lower Manhattan; customer-facing team members located near utility partners across the country.
- **Diverse team composition**: 36 employees across technical (30%), general management, consulting, product, project management, sales, HR, finance, and operations.
- **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work on patented technology with real-world impact; strong alumni network from top tech companies and universities.

## Sources
1. [treeswift.com](https://www.treeswift.com/)
2. [treeswift.com/team](https://treeswift.com/team)
3. [linkedin.com/company/treeswift](https://www.linkedin.com/company/treeswift)
4. [cbinsights.com/company/treeswift](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/treeswift)
5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/treeswift](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/treeswift)

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