What It's Like to Be a Software Engineer at Flexport
As a software engineer at Flexport, you'll be at the heart of a company working to digitize and simplify global trade. For years, the company's core platform has been a Ruby on Rails monolith, but they are now moving towards a more service-oriented architecture, which means there are plenty of interesting challenges in refactoring and building new services. You might work on anything from their core freight forwarding application to internal tools that help the operations team manage shipments. The tech stack is primarily Ruby on Rails, with some teams using Java, Go, and Python. They are also heavy users of AWS, so experience with cloud technologies is a big plus.
Day-to-day, you can expect to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. You'll be working with product managers, designers, and other engineers to build and ship features that have a real impact on the business. Flexport has a strong engineering culture, with a focus on writing clean, maintainable code and a willingness to invest in new technologies. They also have a growing open-source presence, so you may have the opportunity to contribute to projects that are used by the wider community.
Salary & Compensation
Flexport is known for offering competitive salaries, especially for a company in the logistics space. Here's a general breakdown of what you can expect for a software engineering role in San Francisco:
| Level | Base Salary | Total Comp (incl. equity) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry (L1-L2) | $120K–$160K | $150K–$220K |
| Mid (L3-L4) | $160K–$220K | $220K–$350K |
| Senior (L5+) | $220K–$280K | $350K–$450K+ |
Interview Process
The interview process at Flexport is fairly standard for a tech company of its size. It typically consists of 4-5 rounds, including a mix of technical and behavioral interviews.
- Recruiter Screen — A 30-minute call with a recruiter to discuss your background and interest in the role.
- Technical Phone Screen — A 60-minute coding interview with a software engineer. You can expect a LeetCode-style question.
- Onsite/Virtual Loop — A series of 4-5 interviews with engineers and managers. This will include a mix of coding, system design, and behavioral questions.
- Hiring Committee — Your interview packet will be reviewed by a hiring committee, which will make the final decision.
How to Stand Out
- Show your passion for logistics. Flexport is a logistics company first and foremost. Show that you're interested in the problems they're solving.
- Brush up on your Ruby on Rails skills. Even if you haven't used it in a while, showing that you're willing to learn will go a long way.
- Practice your system design skills. As Flexport moves to a more service-oriented architecture, system design is becoming increasingly important.
- Be prepared to talk about your past projects. Flexport wants to see that you can take a project from idea to completion.