---
title: 'Senior Software Engineer (Backend) at Adaptive'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-backend-adaptive-new-york-jm4pgqm1edzg'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Senior Software Engineer (Backend) at Adaptive

- **Company:** Adaptive
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Compensation:** $200k–$250k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2025-11-18
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/adaptive/e8a34d3e-38f6-4f21-ac4e-d2c0ddb24220

## Job description

## What we do

Adaptive is a vertical AI company of 50, building the agentic operating system for the $2 trillion U.S. construction industry. We work with over 1,000 customers, partner with over 50 accounting firms, and have raised $26m from Emergence, a16z, and other top funds.

Why join us?

Win a massive category that's up for grabs. Construction is among the least digitized industries left, and no AI king has been crowned. With our momentum, team, and backing, we are in position to be that company

Build a moat that compounds. We orchestrate multi-stakeholder workflows across an industry that today runs on paper, email, and phone calls. Every process we manage generates data no one else has. That data makes each new use case easier to expand to, while building a compounding moat

Work with the rare team that can pull this off. Winning here takes deep construction knowledge and deep AI fluency in the same room. That intersection is rare, and we have it with backgrounds across finance, technology, and construction

Serve the people building the world around you. Your favorite local café. The new house on the corner. The massive new skyscraper at Central Park South. All built by our customers: skilled, creative people who have spent their lives bringing neighborhoods to life

## About the role

We are excited to share this opportunity to join our growing team at Adaptive! Your technical expertise will be instrumental in guiding the direction of our engineering efforts and ensuring the delivery of high-quality software. Reporting to the VP of Engineering, you will work closely with our engineering and product team of 20, playing a key role in the architectural design, development, and optimization of our products.

## Responsibilities

- Own the execution and delivery of backend- and infrastructure-focused projects in collaboration with the product and design team
- Ensure backend systems are secure, scalable, resilient, and performant as we grow
- Align technical solutions with business needs and product vision
- Drive technical discussions and decision-making processes, ensuring alignment with overall company goals and technology strategy
- Lead by example in writing high-quality, maintainable, and robust code

## Qualifications

- 5+ years of experience in software engineering, with a proven track record in SaaS, fintech or related fields
- Deep expertise in backend development, including service architectures, API design, data modeling, and modern software development practices
- Demonstrated problem-solving skills and a passion for tackling complex technical challenges

## What we offer

- Competitive salary plus meaningful equity
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) match and flexible PTO policy
- A seat at the table in a rapidly scaling vertical AI startup
- Unlimited opportunities for professional growth and leadership

In-office mandate

- This role requires you to work Monday - Thursday in our sunny Union Square office.

## About Adaptive

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Adaptive provides an AI-native project accounting platform that automates financial workflows for construction companies.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; raised $26M total)
- **Headquarters**: New York City, New York, United States (with an office in Boston)
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Matthew Calvano (CEO), Henry Bradlow, Francisco Enriquez

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Construction finance and accounting technology
- **Target customers**: General contractors, specialty trades, developers, and CPA firms serving construction; typically companies with $5M–$1B in revenue (B2B, SMB to mid-market)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: Build AI that powers the built world — transforming how the construction industry runs its finances.

## Products & Services
- **AI Project Accounting Platform**: An end-to-end system that automates job costing, accounts payable, billing, lien waivers, change orders, field coordination, insurance tracking, WIP forecasting, and reporting. The platform uses AI agents that handle data entry, routing, approvals, and analysis; they connect field updates (voice, text, email) to financials in real time. The AI never auto-posts to the GL without human review.
- **Custom AI Agents**: Clients can configure specialized agents for tasks like change order management, AP coding, and lien waiver tracking.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (Series A)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $26 million (Series A led by Emergence Capital with participation from a16z, Definition, Exponent, 3kvc, Box Group, and Gokul Rajaram). The company reports approximately 1,000 customers and an NPS of 80.
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Emergence Capital, a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), partnerships with 6 of the top 100 CPA firms.
- **Growth Signals**: Grew from 29 to 45 employees in 2024; named Best Business Software Solution at the NAHB International Builder Show in 2026; rapid customer acquisition (280+ in mid-2024, now ~1,000); expanding subcontractor-specific products.

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI-native approach**: Unlike legacy ERPs (Sage, QuickBooks, etc.), Adaptive is built from the ground up as an AI project accountant that automates the entire financial workflow, not just a tool for data entry.
- **Field-to-office integration**: AI agents collect updates from job sites via voice, text, or email, closing the lag between field activity and financial records.
- **No ERP replacement**: Works alongside existing GL systems (Sage Intacct, QuickBooks, Foundation, Acumatica, Procore, Buildertrend), reducing switching costs.
- **Human-in-the-loop**: All AI actions are reviewed by humans before posting to the GL, ensuring accuracy and audit readiness.
- **Fast implementation**: 30–90 days to first live agent, no implementation fee, month-to-month pricing.

## Strategic Focus
- **Near-term**: Build tailored products for subcontractor clients to expand the customer base.
- **Medium-term**: Monetize embedded finance, insurance, and payroll functions, leveraging the platform's central role in customer financial workflows.
- **Talent**: Growing the engineering and go-to-market teams to support accelerating demand, with a focus on ownership, speed, and customer obsession.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Tight-knit team (45 employees); values ownership, urgency, direct feedback, and "impact over politics" — described as a startup where people do meaningful work alongside talented colleagues from companies like Shopify, Carta, and Bain.
- **Work policy**: In-person Monday–Thursday in NYC (Union Square) or Boston (downtown); offices are vibrant with perks like ping-pong, catered lunches (NYC), stocked snacks, monthly happy hours, and team outings.
- **Perks**: Unlimited PTO, 100% covered medical/dental/vision premiums, HSA options, 100% 401(k) match up to 3% of salary, pre-tax commuter benefits, annual company offsites, and quarterly offsites for Engineering, Product, and Design teams.
- **Interview process**: Typically 3 stages (recruiter screen, technical/role-specific assessment, on-site) completed within 2–3 weeks with clear feedback.
- **Visa sponsorship**: Supports H-1B transfers and new TN visas (does not currently sponsor new cap-subject H-1B visas).
- **Growth**: Early ownership and real responsibility from day one; growth through scope expansion, hands-on learning, and exposure to new challenges as the company scales.

## Sources
1. [adaptive.build (Careers)](https://www.adaptive.build/careers)
2. [adaptive.build (Main Site)](https://www.adaptive.build/)
3. [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/15/adaptive-builds-automation-tools-to-speed-up-construction-payments/)
4. [Built In](https://builtin.com/company/adaptive-adaptivebuild)

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