Software Development Engineer (SDE) – Full Stack

Software Development Engineer (SDE) – Full Stack
Steps AI · On-Site, Hyderabad, India · Full-Time · Paid
Only apply if: You have 2–4 years of production full-stack experience, you have shipped live products end to end (interface, APIs, data, and deployment), and you can point us to URLs we can open today.
Who We Are
Steps AI is a product company building intelligent, AI-powered software for modern businesses. We design and ship production systems that combine strong user experience, reliable backends, and data-driven intelligence. We work with real customers, deploy to both cloud and on-premises environments, and move from prototype to production with a high bar for security, access control, and operational quality.
We are growing, shipping every week, and looking for engineers who can own a problem end to end - interface, API, data, security, and deployment - rather than a single layer of the stack.
The Role
We are hiring a Full-Stack SDE who can take a working product, demo, or prototype and turn it into a reliable, role-based, securely deployed application that real users can operate on. You will work across the frontend, backend APIs, database, and deployment — and you will be expected to raise the quality of design, access control, and operations as you go, not just add screens.
This is an individual-contributor role with real ownership. You will implement features from specification to production, participate in reviews, and support releases to cloud and on-premises environments.
What You Will Do
Frontend
Build production web applications in React and TypeScript (Next.js experience is a strong plus) with a clear, consistent UI.
Implement dashboards, tables, filters, forms, maps or geographic views, and multi-step workflows that stay usable under real data volumes.
Translate product requirements and design intent into responsive, accessible interfaces. You will make design decisions when a finished mock is not available.
Integrate the UI with backend APIs using disciplined client state, caching, error states, and loading behaviour.
Backend and APIs
Design and implement REST APIs (Python/FastAPI or Node/TypeScript) with clear contracts, validation, and error handling.
Implement authentication and session handling (JWT, OAuth, or server sessions) and enforce authorization on every sensitive path.
Build workflow, notification, file, and reporting endpoints that are safe to expose in a multi-user system.
Write services that are observable: structured logs, meaningful status codes, and failure modes that operators can diagnose.
Database and Data
Model relational data (PostgreSQL or equivalent), write migrations, and keep schemas versioned and reviewable.
Index, query, and paginate so list and analytics views stay fast as data grows.
Handle imports, exports, and data-quality checks without corrupting the system of record.
Participate in backup, restore, and environment-promotion practices for the data layer.
Security, RBAC, and Hardening
Implement role-based access control so users only see and change what their role and scope allow.
Harden applications that began as demos: remove unsafe defaults, lock down admin paths, add audit trails, and treat secrets correctly.
Apply basic application security: input validation, CSRF/CORS discipline, password hashing, session expiry, least privilege.
Support secure configuration for on-premises installs (environment separation, TLS, controlled admin access).
Deployment and Operations
Package and deploy the full application (web + API + database) using Docker and a documented release path.
Contribute to CI/CD, environment promotion (dev / staging / production), and rollback discipline.
Debug production issues across the stack instead of stopping at the layer you last touched.
Travel when needed to client or on-premises sites in Hyderabad to install, verify, or support a release.
Must-Have Qualifications
Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
2–4 years of professional software engineering with production systems in use by real users.
Proven ability to ship a feature across UI, API, and database — not only one of the three.
Strong TypeScript or modern JavaScript, and solid Python or Node on the server.
Working knowledge of relational databases, migrations, and query basics.
Practical experience with Git, code review, and collaborative branching.
Comfort with Docker-based local development and at least one CI/CD system.
Clear written communication: you can turn a product note into a technical plan without many clarification rounds.
Willingness to work on-site in Hyderabad and to travel to client or on-premises locations as required.
Next.js (App Router), TanStack Query, and a modern component system (for example shadcn/ui).
FastAPI or NestJS in production.
Experience adding RBAC, audit logs, or approval workflows to an existing application.
Maps, charts, or other data-heavy interfaces.
AI-assisted product features (assistants, retrieval, streaming UIs) as a consumer of APIs.
On-premises or restricted-network deployment experience.
Basic automated tests (unit, API, or Playwright/Cypress).
Location, Work Mode, and Travel
This is a full-time, on-site role in Hyderabad, India. You will work in person with the engineering team.
Occasional travel is required. This includes travel to on-premises deployment locations and travel to client sites in Hyderabad for implementation, go-live, reviews, or production support. Travel is typically short-duration and planned; willingness to travel within Hyderabad (and occasionally nearby) is a condition of the role.
What We Offer
High-ownership work: you will influence architecture, security, and how the product is shipped.
Exposure to AI-assisted products, enterprise-grade access control, and real production deployments.
Fast execution cycles and a culture that values demonstrated capability over credentials alone.
Learning budget for courses and certifications.
Collaborative in-office engineering culture in Hyderabad.

Work arrangement
No