--- title: 'Software Engineer, Backend at Shepherd' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-backend-shepherd-san-francisco-nw0rkkg42w9y' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-30' --- # Software Engineer, Backend at Shepherd - **Company:** Shepherd - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $170k–$400k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-30 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/shepherd/395f4b75-cf05-4581-8408-8f4fe0f1480b ## Job description ## What we do Build the insurance behind the physical world. The world is building data centers, energy projects, hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure. Every one of those projects needs insurance to move forward. Yet the process of getting that insurance still depends on scattered documents, manual work, and weeks of back-and-forth. Shepherd is rebuilding commercial insurance with software, data, AI, and deep underwriting expertise. We started in construction and energy, where understanding the specifics of a project matters and better decisions have consequences far beyond a screen. We develop insurance products, decide which risks to insure and how to price them, and partner with established insurers to back the coverage. We own the platform our team uses to turn complex submissions into coverage for the builders and operators shaping the world around us. Real problems. Real ownership. Our engineers, designers, underwriters, CX, and actuaries build together. The problems span turning messy documents into reliable data, making pricing more precise, and designing AI agents that can take on increasingly complex underwriting work. The ambition is a platform where experts spend more time on judgment and relationships, supported by software that handles the work around them. Join us to build systems whose decisions help real projects get built. 630+ customers / $500B+ insured project value Our investors Capital to build. Partners to grow with. $67M total funding / $42M Series B in March 2026 Shepherd is backed by Intact Private Capital, Costanoa Ventures, Spark Capital, Susa Ventures, and Y Combinator. In March 2026, we announced a $42M Series B led by Intact Private Capital, bringing our total funding to $67M. Intact is also a capacity partner. Alongside its investment, Intact works with Shepherd to bring insurance products to market. That relationship connects our platform and underwriting expertise with the resources of a global insurer. A bigger opportunity ahead We are investing in new insurance products, our underwriting team, and the path toward autonomous underwriting. For the people joining Shepherd, that means the chance to shape both the technology and the business it makes possible. Our backing brings together investors who build technology companies and partners who understand insurance. We are building a company that earns the confidence of both. ## The Role We're looking for a talented software engineer who's passionate about what we're building and ready to do the best work of their career. You thrive on ownership, drive results, and care deeply about both technical excellence and customer impact. You would be our dream candidate if... - You aren't afraid of ambiguity, and it may even excite you - You enjoy shipping product every day (maybe multiple times a day) while maintaining high quality standards - You enjoy wearing multiple hats while solving problems; as an engineer, product manager, and designer - You take end-to-end ownership of features and systems, from conception through release - You care about the built-world and how to improve construction safety and productivity - You care about others' growth and welcome mentoring other engineers — you've led or been a major contributor on significant projects - You have strong opinions, weakly held — you advocate for your ideas but adapt when presented with better solutions - You communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders - You have some experience with insurance – either from a prior InsurTech role or actuarial role - You have experience working with Javascript/Typescript (backend and/or frontend) - You have at least 5+ years of working experience (preferably as a full-stack engineer) with a track record of delivering high-impact products ## About the Role Shepherd's platform consists of three primary elements: data collection, automated underwriting, and policy administration. - You will lead major initiatives and own a large area of Shepherd's product experience, in each vertical while driving technical decisions for your domain - You will work across the stack, even across different disciplines (e.g. underwriting, design, product management) - You will play an integral role in building our culture as the company grows and mentor other engineers as we scale the team - You will balance innovation with pragmatic delivery — staying current with emerging tech while shipping quality products - You will contribute to product strategy and architectural decisions, not just implementation - You will collaborate closely with PM, Mo (CTO) and the insurance team (underwriters, actuaries and more!) Our Tech Stack Frontend - React & Next.js - Typescript - GraphQL w/ Apollo Backend - Node.js - Postgres & Redis - Typescript - GraphQL APIs ## How we work Shepherd runs on four values. Here's what each one means in this seat. - Think big, build big. We exist to protect progress and the industries that rely on it. The work here is aimed at a system that runs on its own, and the roadmap gets sequenced backward from that rather than forward from what's easy. - Win together. We rise as one. We support each other, raise the bar, and celebrate collective success. Come set a standard the rest of the team inherits. - Cross the aisle. Collaboration wins. We listen deeply, work across boundaries, and prioritize shared success over individual lanes. The best product calls here come from engineers who've sat with underwriters and underwriters who understand where the model breaks, and much of this job is listening closely enough on both sides to make that happen. - Go get it. We act with urgency, move with confidence, take smart risks, and push forward with intention. Nobody hands you the roadmap, the data, or the meeting invite. You pull the failing runs, book the time with the underwriters, and decide what matters. ## Benefits 🏥 Premium Healthcare 100% contribution to health, dental, and vision 🥕 Fertility benefits and family building support 🏖️ Flexible PTO Flexibility to take the time off, recharge, and perform 🥗 Daily lunches, dinners, and snacks We work together, and enjoy meals together too 🖥️ SF, NYC, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago and LA Offices 📚 Professional Development Access to premium coaching, including leadership development 🏦 Competitive 401(k) Plan 🐶 Dog-friendly office Plenty of dogs to play with and make friends with in the SF office ## About Shepherd ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Shepherd is a technology-driven commercial insurance platform that combines deep underwriting expertise with data science to provide primary casualty, excess casualty, and builder's risk insurance, primarily for the construction and renewable energy sectors. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States (900 Kearny Street, Suite 700) - **Founded**: 2020 - **Founders**: Justin Levine (Co-Founder, CEO) and Mo Mahallawy (Co-Founder, CTO) ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Commercial Insurance (Property & Casualty), specializing in Construction and Renewable Energy. - Target customers: B2B, specifically middle-market contractors and renewable energy operators with project values in the $100M–$500M range. They serve brokers and agents who place commercial insurance. - Mission/purpose statement: "Build the fastest and smartest commercial risk platform powered by technology and data." Their vision is to "Make risk frictionless for the builders and operators shaping our physical world." ## Products & Services - **Casualty Insurance (Primary + Excess)**: This is Shepherd's core offering. They write general liability, commercial auto, workers' compensation, and excess casualty. The sweet spot is middle-market construction and renewable energy. Indications come back same-day (~12 hours average, compared to 7+ days at legacy carriers). Underwriting is powered by an agentic AI platform that reads every submission end-to-end. - **Builder's Risk Insurance**: Insurance covering property under construction, protecting against physical loss or damage during the building phase. - **Technology Platform**: A data-driven, AI-powered underwriting engine that replaces the traditional multi-tool, slow process with a unified, fast, and intelligent system. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Total Funding**: Total raised is $61.7M. - **Key Metric**: Latest funding round was $42M Series B, raised approximately 3 months ago (around early 2025). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Backed by industry leaders including Spark Capital, Costanoa Ventures, Intact Private Capital, Greenlight Re Innovations, Intact Ventures, and 8 other investors (as per CB Insights). Capacity is provided by A-rated partners. - **Growth Signals**: - **Headcount Growth**: 61% yearly growth (LinkedIn estimate). - **Job Posting Growth**: 575% yearly increase in active job postings (LinkedIn estimate). - Active job postings: 27, with a monthly increase of 8%. - Lines of business are expanding to cover Renewable Energy & Power and primary casualty insurance. ## Competitive Advantages - **Speed**: Same-day indications (12hr avg vs. 7+ days for legacy carriers) are a massive differentiator for brokers and their clients. - **Technology Moat**: Their proprietary agentic AI platform reads submissions end-to-end, removing the friction of 7+ disconnected tools and legacy workflows. - **Human + Tech (The "And")**: The company explicitly positions itself as both "technology and human expertise, speed and intention." This blend of deep insurance domain knowledge with modern software engineering is a unique moat. - **Focus on Niche Verticals**: By targeting complex, high-growth industries (Construction, Renewable Energy), they can build specialized data models and risk selection expertise that generalist carriers cannot easily replicate. ## Strategic Focus - **Platform Expansion**: Building the "fastest and smartest commercial risk platform." This includes expanding their product offerings (e.g., starting with Builder's Risk and moving to Primary and Excess Casualty) and moving into new industry verticals like Renewable Energy & Power. - **Scale & Speed**: Continuing to leverage AI to make the underwriting process faster and more frictionless for brokers. - **Talent Acquisition**: Aggressively hiring across Engineering, Actuarial, and Underwriting roles to scale the team and build the platform. The company is currently 62 employees (per LinkedIn) with a strong bias toward growth. ## Why Work Here - **Intellectual Challenge**: The culture is described as an "environment for people who need intellectual challenge, thrive in progress, and are motivated by the impact of their work." They are solving a very hard, old-economy problem with modern technology. - **Top-Tier Compensation & Benefits**: - 100% contribution to top-tier health, dental, and vision. - Unlimited PTO. - Premium coaching and leadership development. - **High-Impact Role**: The company is still relatively small (62 employees), so new hires can have an outsized impact on the platform and product. You will "work alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry." - **Office/Hybrid Presence**: Roles are primarily based in San Francisco and New York City. - **Engineering Culture**: The engineering team is building an AI-native product from the ground up, with a focus on Full Stack, Backend, AI Product & Agents, and Applied AI. The founding CTO is an ex-Y Combinator founder. - **Values-Driven Culture**: Core values emphasize "Win together," "Go get it" (acting with urgency), "Cross the aisle" (collaboration), and "Think big, build big" (protecting progress). ## Sources 1. [shepherdinsurance.com (About)](https://www.shepherdinsurance.com/about) 2. [shepherdinsurance.com (Careers)](https://shepherdinsurance.com/careers) 3. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/shepherd-2) 4. [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/shepherd) 5. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/withshepherd) ## Other roles at Shepherd - [Compliance Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/compliance-lead-shepherd-san-francisco-tzt55ths5rqv) — San Francisco, CA - [Head of Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-finance-shepherd-san-francisco-ejcf0pb0vbkp) — San Francisco, CA - [Director of Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-marketing-shepherd-san-francisco-ajz1cq32reea) — San Francisco, CA - [Software Engineer, AI Product + Agents](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-ai-product-agents-shepherd-san-francisco-y2vd89rsc79k) — San Francisco, CA - [Software Engineer, Applied AI](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-applied-ai-shepherd-san-francisco-1nvfw2e5zh21) — San Francisco, CA - [Software Engineer, Full Stack](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-full-stack-shepherd-san-francisco-vfeeq4qytd9p) — San Francisco, CA - [Head of Wholesale Underwriting](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-wholesale-underwriting-shepherd-new-york-rkvbdfrtb9xe) — New York, NY - [Subcontractor Default Underwriting Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/subcontractor-default-underwriting-lead-shepherd-san-francisco-m4kg9f1p17jf) — San Francisco, CA - [Professional Liability Underwriting Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/professional-liability-underwriting-lead-shepherd-new-york-hz465jbnr8re) — New York, NY - [Commercial Casualty Underwriting Leader (Director)](https://feeny.ai/job/commercial-casualty-underwriting-leader-director-shepherd-san-francisco-19t8rkzra5q7) — San Francisco, CA