Opportunity

Senior Clojure Engineer at Peerspace | $170K–$190K in Columbus

Location Columbus
Company Peerspace
Source jobicy
Posted 2026-08-29 10:53:16

Career & Market Insight

Compensation: Above-Market for a Niche Skill Set

The $170K–$190K range is competitive to above-market for senior backend engineers in the US, particularly given that Clojure is a niche functional language. The market for experienced Clojure engineers is small, which gives this role strong bargaining power and career differentiation — Clojure expertise commands a premium and opens doors at companies like Nubank, Cognitect, and Cisco (acquired Metaswitch).

Skills This Role Develops

  • Clojure & functional programming — a rare, highly valued specialization in the JVM ecosystem.
  • Cloud-native architecture & infrastructure-as-code — broadly transferable to any modern engineering org.
  • Service-oriented architecture & RESTful API design — foundational senior engineering skills.
  • Legacy modernization (Node.js → Clojure migration) — a common and valued real-world challenge.

Culture & Growth Stage Signals

Peerspace is a Series B-stage marketplace startup backed by GV and Foundation Capital, with $500M+ in platform GMV. This suggests a mature product with established engineering practices, not an early-stage chaos environment. The "Great Place to Work" certification and structured benefits package indicate a stabilized culture. The role sits within a delivery team, pointing to a product-led engineering culture rather than pure R&D.

Green Flags: Equity comp, functional programming investment, async culture, professional development budget. Watch For: Legacy Node.js maintenance could be a larger portion of the work than the title suggests — worth clarifying during interviews.

About Peerspace

Peerspace is the leading and category-defining online marketplace for venue rentals for meetings, productions, and events. We open doors to the most inspiring spaces around the world, from lofts and mansions to storefronts and studios. Over $500M has been transacted through the platform, and our investors include GV (Google Ventures) and Foundation Capital.

Role Overview

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Peerspace, you will be a vital member of our delivery team focused on building and maintaining scalable backend services that power the Peerspace platform. You will primarily work in Clojure to develop new services and support existing systems, with occasional maintenance of legacy applications and services in Node. Working closely with other engineers, product management, and cross-functional stakeholders, you'll help ensure our cloud-based, service-oriented architecture is robust, reliable, and aligned with modern development practices, including infrastructure-as-code.

Qualifications

You are a great fit for this role if you have:

  • Experience: 5–8 years in software development, with hands-on experience in backend engineering.
  • Technical Skills:
    • Proficiency in Clojure for developing and maintaining backend services.
    • Familiarity with Node.js, especially for supporting legacy services.
    • Understanding of service-oriented architectures and RESTful API design.
    • Experience working in cloud environments and using modern development tooling.
    • Exposure to infrastructure-as-code tools and practices.
  • Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills with the ability to debug and optimize backend systems.
  • Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with senior engineers and cross-functional teams, contributing to collective problem-solving and continuous improvement.
  • Growth Mindset: Enthusiasm for learning new tools and techniques in cloud deployment, automation, and backend development.

Responsibilities

  • Service Development: Designing, implementing, and maintaining backend services primarily using Clojure, ensuring they are scalable, maintainable, and performant.
  • Legacy Support: Assisting in the maintenance and gradual modernization of legacy Node.js services as part of our broader system.
  • Cloud Deployment: Collaborating on cloud deployments, leveraging modern tooling and infrastructure-as-code practices to enhance deployment pipelines and overall system reliability.
  • Code Quality: Writing clean, well-documented code and participating in code reviews to uphold quality standards.
  • Collaboration: Working closely with senior engineers, DevOps, and other team members to integrate backend services into the overall architecture and resolve operational issues.
  • Continuous Improvement: Engaging in learning opportunities, adopting best practices, and staying up-to-date with industry trends to enhance the backend technology stack.

Why Peerspace?

Peerspace is proudly certified as a Great Place to Work™ and is a remote-first company with team members located in cities around the globe. Beyond competitive salary and equity compensation, we provide:

  • 100% employee coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • $500 annual professional development allowance
  • Discount on all Peerspace bookings
  • Laptop, high-res display, and stipend to set up home office
  • Monthly cell phone and internet credit
  • Coworking membership if needed (in lieu of home office)
  • Flexible "take it as you need it" time off policy
  • Wellness Fridays observed company-wide
  • Annual in-person, all-company offsites and team-building events

The annual salary range for this role is $170,000 to $190,000. The actual salary will vary depending on experience, skills, and abilities as well as internal equity and market data.

Diversity

At Peerspace, we're dedicated to creating a team that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We believe bringing people together from different backgrounds and identities makes us stronger and better serves the Peerspace community. We'd especially like to encourage applicants from different backgrounds, locations, and experiences.

Hiring Security Notice

At Peerspace, we are committed to maintaining a secure and transparent hiring experience. Please be aware that scammers sometimes impersonate companies like ours by posting fake job listings or reaching out to job seekers in misleading ways. All legitimate communication from Peerspace will come from an official @peerspace.com email address. We do not contact candidates through personal email accounts, third-party messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams, or through the Peerspace platform's internal messaging system. All interviews are conducted only by phone or Zoom, and we will never ask for sensitive personal or financial information such as your Social Security number or bank details during the early stages of the hiring process. If you receive any message that seems suspicious or does not align with these practices, please contact us at [email protected]. We only post job openings and process applications through our official careers page at https://jobs.lever.co/peerspace.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this role fully remote or does it require working from an office?
Peerspace is a remote-first company with team members in cities around the globe, so this role is fully remote. They also offer a coworking membership as an alternative to a home office setup.
What is the salary range for this Senior Backend Engineer position?
The annual salary range is $170,000 to $190,000 USD, with the actual offer varying based on experience, skills, and internal equity. Equity compensation is also part of the package.
Do I need to know Clojure to apply for this role?
Yes, proficiency in Clojure is a core requirement, as the primary backend work is done in Clojure. Familiarity with Node.js is also helpful for supporting legacy services.
How much experience is required for this position?
The role requires 5–8 years of software development experience with a focus on backend engineering.
What professional development support does Peerspace offer?
Peerspace provides a $500 annual professional development allowance, plus a laptop, high-res display, and home office stipend to support your working setup.
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