Software Engineer, Applications (App Foundations) (High Seniority) at Benchling
San Francisco, CA
$225,378–$304,924
Jul 21, 2026
San Francisco, CA
Jul 23, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior individual contributor engineering role focused on two core product areas: the Lab Notebook (where scientists record and structure experimental data) and Enterprise Lifecycle capabilities (audit trails, review and approval flows, exports, and backups used in regulated, compliance-heavy environments). The position involves architecting and delivering complex backend, API, and full-stack features, leading multi-quarter initiatives, and shaping engineering direction across a broader applications division. Best suited to an experienced engineer comfortable owning horizontal platform systems and working closely with product and design on compliance-sensitive software.
Staff level · 8+ years · San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA · Full-time
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 500 people in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (software developers). range 370–650
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $190,744 (middle half $167,095–$224,501).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (6)
The title is 'Software Engineer at the High Seniority level' — no standard level word (Senior, Staff, etc.) appears in the title itself, so the title states no level. However, the actual scope — org-wide technical authority across an entire Applications division, setting engineering direction beyond multiple teams, reporting to the Head of Engineering — clearly supports Staff-level classification.
The tech stack (React frontend, Python backend, PostgreSQL) is described in the qualifications section but explicitly framed as 'appreciated but not required if you can pick it up quickly,' so all three are marked preferred rather than required.
LLMs appear in the responsibilities as an area to 'explore and evaluate' — framed as forward-looking interest rather than a hard gate.
GxP/audit/compliance experience is explicitly called 'a plus' in the qualifications, so no skill entry is emitted for it (no concrete named technology).
No compensation figures are stated in the posting.
The role is hybrid (3 days/week on-site); the San Francisco CBSA is inferred from the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance reference and Benchling's known headquarters.
Read the full posting
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