Job Description
Job DescriptionAbout Us
Our mission is to drive human connection in the AI era. Bonfiire is delivering the world's best way to book in-person gatherings: a marketplace with the best venues, transparent pricing, and a three-click booking process. We're taking a truly zero-to-one approach in a market full of cumbersome RFP solutions that take weeks and dozens of steps to book a gathering.
We also have significant momentum. We currently serve more than 5% of the Fortune 500 as their system of record, we've processed over $100M in events, and we have recently signed deals with Booking.com for Business and other major distributors. We've proven the model works. Now we're taking it to the next level with our new product and we need your help.
As our Founding Architect, you define the technical infrastructure that powers it all. This is a rare opportunity to become a founder in a company that already has meaningful traction, momentum, and a clear path to industry leadership.
What You'll OwnArchitect Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure
Design and build the APIs, data models, and booking engine that power our marketplace. Create the technical foundation that Booking.com, Fortune 500 systems, and distribution partners can rely on.
Build for Distribution at Scale
Own the integration layer that feeds our inventory to third-party systems. Design robust, well-documented APIs that enterprise partners can trust. Ensure our platform can handle millions of bookings across multiple distribution channels without breaking.
Design Marketplace Infrastructure
Architect the two-sided marketplace: venue inventory management, real-time availability, pricing engines, booking workflows, and payment systems. Build the core systems that make three-click booking possible at enterprise scale.
Leverage AI Intelligently
Integrate AI into search, recommendations, and automation. Work with embeddings, vector stores, and model orchestration to build experiences that feel magical while maintaining the reliability standards of mission-critical infrastructure.
Set Technical Standards
Establish engineering practices for a production system that can't go down. Introduce monitoring, testing, and deployment practices that ensure reliability. Build a culture of speed and craft. Mentor future hires as we scale the team.
What We're Looking For
-
Passion for driving deeper human connection
-
6–10 years building production infrastructure at high-growth startups or travel/marketplace companies
-
Proven ability to design and ship robust backend systems independently
-
Deep expertise in API architecture, distributed systems, and database design
-
Strong fundamentals: Node.js/Python, PostgreSQL, Redis, message queues, caching strategies
-
Experience building integrations with enterprise systems or third-party platforms
-
Understanding of travel industry standards, inventory systems, or marketplace infrastructure (highly valued)
-
Comfort working directly with founders in fast, ambiguous environments
-
Desire to own systems architecture, not just write code
Tech stack: Node.js, React, TypeScript, Neon Postgres, Redis, AI/LLM integrations
You might be a fit if:
-
You've built systems where downtime costs money and bugs have real consequences
-
You're obsessed with data models and system design—you know most technical debt starts with lazy modeling
-
You believe great architecture eliminates entire categories of problems before they happen
-
You have strong opinions on how things should be built and the conviction to defend them
-
You think "move fast vs. build it right" is a false choice made by people who are bad at both
-
You'd rather work with 3 exceptional engineers than 15 decent ones
Why This Matters
-
Leverage: You're building on 10 years of traction, not starting from zero
-
Impact: Your infrastructure determines whether we can scale globally and power major distribution partnerships
-
Ownership: You'll shape technical architecture, system design, and engineering culture
-
Upside: Meaningful early equity in a company with a clear path to major outcome
Location
In-person out of our beautiful new office in Palo Alto, CA