Staff Software Engineer, goose

Block is one company built from many blocks, all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams — People, Finance, Counsel, Hardware, Information Security, Platform Infrastructure Engineering, and more — provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe, spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies, forecast finances, give legal counsel, safeguard systems, nurture new initiatives, and more. Every challenge creates possibilities, and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block.

The Role

goose is an open, interoperable AI agent framework that connects large language models (LLMs) to real-world actions. Built to be modular and extensible, goose allows anyone to create, operate, and scale agent-based systems with ease.

We're looking for a pragmatic, adaptable engineer who thrives in environments where things aren't fully defined and plans evolve quickly. You'll be joining us early in the journey, helping shape not only the systems we build but also how we build them.

This is a unique opportunity to define how agents share their work with the world. goose can already build an app in minutes, but how do you publish that app? That's where goose hosting comes in. We're developing the infrastructure that makes publishing seamless and scalable, while designing open protocols that prevent vendor lock-in. You'll play a key role in establishing both the technical foundation and the standards that shape this emerging ecosystem.

Check out goose's website to learn more about our vision for open-source AI agents.

You Will

• Design, build, and operate core parts of our serving infrastructure (though the exact direction is still evolving).
• Write clean, reliable, and efficient code (we use Rust).
• Work closely with product and design to turn ambiguous ideas into practical solutions.
• Embrace ambiguity as an opportunity. Figuring things out as you go, experimenting, and helping define the right path forward.
• Make thoughtful tradeoffs between speed, quality, and maintainability in a fast-changing environment.
• Help shape our technical culture, engineering practices, and product direction.
• Mix speed of delivery: sometimes deliver a hacky solution real quick, other times build rock-solid systems, and know how to choose when each is appropriate.

You Have

• 8+ years of experience building and scaling backend or serving infrastructure (cloud, distributed systems, APIs, etc.).
• Comfort operating in high-ambiguity environments where both problems and solutions are still being defined, and curiosity to explore and shape them.
• A track record of pragmatic engineering: you know when “good enough” beats “perfect.”
• The ability to adapt quickly when plans change and to turn uncertainty into opportunity.
• Experience in startup or startup-like environments where you've worn multiple hats and delivered under real-world constraints.
• Bonus: Familiarity with Rust.

We're working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we're doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page.

While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, U.S. roles are typically open for an average of 55 days before being filled by a successful candidate. Please refer to the date listed at the top of this job page for when this role was first posted.