Junior Software Engineer - Backend and Optimisation

About Benchmark Construction Technology Benchmark (formerly BotBuilt, Y Combinator W21) is building the next generation of technology behind American homebuilding. We’re starting with one of the hardest parts of the stack: reliably turning messy, real-world construction plans into structured, usable data.

Our systems translate architectural drawings into detailed digital representations of homes — including framing systems, materials, and structural components — that can drive downstream automation, analysis, and construction workflows.

About The Role You’ll work alongside experienced engineers to build and improve the backend APIs and mathematical systems behind our design engine. You’ll contribute to optimization models, geometric algorithms, and simulation systems that translate plan information into physically valid 3D building structures.

This is an early-career role for someone with strong programming and mathematical fundamentals who wants to grow through hands-on work on real engineering systems.

What You’ll Do

• Build and improve well-scoped APIs and backend services using Python and FastAPI
• Support the development and testing of optimization models using techniques such as constraint programming, linear programming, and mixed-integer programming (MIP)
• Contribute to computational geometry systems that convert plan-derived data into structured 3D building representations
• Help implement simulation and constraint systems that capture construction rules, structural relationships, and material layouts
• Write clean, testable, and maintainable Python code for numerical and algorithmic systems
• Debug model behavior, investigate failures, and help improve performance through profiling, testing, and solver tuning
• Work closely with senior software, ML, and platform engineers to integrate optimization systems into the broader plan ingestion and design pipeline
• Document your work, communicate progress and blockers clearly, and learn engineering practices for reliability, deployment, and production support

Who We’re Looking For

• 1–2 years of professional, internship, research, or equivalent project experience in software engineering, optimization, computational mathematics, or a related area
• Strong Python fundamentals and experience building non-trivial software or numerical projects
• Coursework or practical experience in operations research, optimization, algorithms, numerical methods, or a closely related field
• Understanding of core data structures, algorithms, and computational complexity
• Some exposure to computational geometry, geometric modeling, simulation, or spatial algorithms
• Familiarity with Linux and Git, with a willingness to learn production development and deployment practices

What Makes You a Great Fit

• You take ownership of well-scoped tasks while knowing when to ask for guidance
• You enjoy translating messy real-world rules into clear logic, algorithms, or mathematical formulations
• You care about correctness, readability, and understanding why a system behaves the way it does
• You are eager to learn from experienced engineers and steadily take on more responsibility
• You communicate clearly and collaborate well with engineers across disciplines

Bonus Points

• Experience with OR solvers such as Gurobi, CPLEX, SCIP, or OR-Tools
• Academic, internship, or personal project experience in computational geometry, geometric modeling, or spatial algorithms
• Experience building APIs with FastAPI or another Python web framework
• Exposure to profiling, numerical performance optimization, or simulation workloads
• Familiarity with the construction, CAD, manufacturing, robotics, or engineering domains

What We Offer

• Competitive salary + meaningful equity
• Comprehensive benefits (health, dental, vision)
• Professional development budget (courses, conferences, research exploration)