AI Insights
Flexport

Software Engineer Ⅰ, Forwarding App

Flexport · Shanghai, CN
full-timejunior (1-3 yrs)Posted 412d ago
Software EngineeringIC2ICOn-site
StackRubyJavaKotlinCC++MicroservicesDistributed SystemsREST APIsCI/CDCode ReviewUnit TestingSource Control (Git)SQL

Summary

Entry-level software engineering role at Flexport, a global trade and logistics platform, focused on building distributed microservices that power freight forwarding operations. Based onsite in Shanghai or Shenzhen, China, working on core logistics products including forwarding, document, compliance, and AI-powered platforms.

About the role

About Flexport: 

At Flexport, we believe global trade can move the human race forward. That’s why it’s our mission to make global commerce so easy there will be more of it. We’re shaping the future of a $10T industry with solutions powered by innovative technology and exceptional people. Today, companies of all sizes—from emerging brands to Fortune 500s—use Flexport technology to move more than $19B of merchandise across 112 countries a year. 

The recent global supply chain crisis has put Flexport center stage as we continue to play a pivotal role in how goods move around the world. We are proud to have the support of the best investors in the game who believe in our mission, solutions and people. Ready to tackle global challenges that impact business, society, and the environment? Come join us.

The opportunity:

Flexport is a platform for global trade in an industry that comprises 12% of the global GDP.  We are the first licensed freight forwarder and customs brokerage built around a modern tech stack.  We help the world's fastest-growing brands manage their international supply chains, providing a fully-managed service for moving products between any two places on the planet.

Exceptional software development is integral in allowing us to fulfill our mission of fixing the user experience in global trade. At Flexport you’ll develop products that are at the forefront of reshaping the entire logistics & supply chain industries. You’ll work alongside self-starters interested in solving real-world problems and streamlining the inefficiencies in the complex global trade industry. You’ll have the opportunity to reshape an industry by creating the new operating system for global trade.

Our engineers are top-notch software developers who love listening to the users, working as a team, and proactively taking the lead whenever necessary. The role involves learning the business of freight forwarding, modeling the work that people do to move freight, designing solutions to make it more efficient, and thinking innovatively to automate much of it. In this role, you will have an opportunity to own the design and development of key parts of our forwarding systems. You will have influence on subsystem design and help contribute to a team culture around practices that are critical to a quality product. 

About the team:

We have multiple teams in Shanghai and Shenzhen working on a suite of core products and services that enable Flexport operation to scale, including Forwarding Application, Client Application, Shipper Application, WMS, Consol Planning Tool, Document Platform (AI empowered), Email Platform, Compliance Platform, Work Assignment Engine, Exception Management, AI Copilot, Insight Builder (AI Data Analytics), Visibility & Schedules and so on.We are looking for engineers who love learning, are passionate about collaborating, and desire to build solutions with a global impact.

You will:

  • Build highly available, secure, distributed systems in a microservice architecture.
  • Design, develop, test and maintain systems that represent the real-world intricacies of logistics entities, such as shipper, client, cargo, document, carrier, container, email etc.
  • Collaborate with some of the best engineers in the industry to work on complex business and technical problems.
  • Build and launch products rapidly and incrementally. We ship to production dozens of times per day.
  • Ensure our products maintain a high-quality bar. We believe in anticipating issues by obsessing over metrics and applying key learnings from post-mortems to all our services.
  • Geek out about shipping and logistics. (We do this often.)

You should have:

Basic Qualifications

  • 1+ years of experience writing software, and a strong engineering background.
  • Knowledge of at least one programming language such as Ruby, C, C++, Java, or Kotlin
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

  • A love of simple, well-tested code that is easy to extend and hard to break.
  • A bias for action. When you see a problem, you solve it.
  • Knowledge of professional software engineering practices & best practices for full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, continuous deployments, testing, and operations
  • Non-optional: an aptitude for learning quickly.

#LI-onsite

Commitment to Equal Opportunity

At Flexport, our ability to fulfill our mission of making global commerce easy and accessible relies on having a diverse, dedicated and engaged workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, health status, marital and family status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates and Applicants

Depending on your location, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may regulate the way we manage the data of job applicants. By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data as required. Please see our Privacy Notice available at www.flexport.com/privacy for additional information.

What you'll do

1Build highly available, secure, distributed systems in a microservice architecture
2Design, develop, test, and maintain systems modeling real-world logistics entities (shipper, cargo, document, carrier, container, email)
3Collaborate with senior engineers on complex business and technical problems
4Build and launch products rapidly and incrementally (multiple production deployments per day)
5Maintain high product quality by obsessing over metrics and applying learnings from post-mortems
6Contribute to team culture around software engineering best practices

Requirements

1+ years of software engineering experience with a strong technical foundation
Proficiency in at least one language: Ruby, C, C++, Java, or Kotlin
Experience building and maintaining distributed systems or microservice architectures
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience

Nice to have

Ruby
Kotlin
Java
Microservices
CI/CD
Test-driven development
Post-mortem analysis
Observability and metrics

Role overview

Role family
Software Engineering
Level
IC2 — backend
Experience
1–3 years
Type
Individual Contributor
Remote policy
On-site
Visa sponsorship
Not offered

Tech stack analysis

LANGUAGES
RubyJavaKotlinCC++
INFRASTRUCTURE
MicroservicesCI/CD pipelinesDistributed Systems
TOOLS
Source control (Git implied)Post-mortem toolingMetrics/Observability platforms

Salary estimate

CNY 300K – CNY 550K
AI-estimated salary range
Confidence45%
Reasoning

Salary not disclosed. For an entry-level SWE I at a US-headquartered tech company (Flexport) operating in Shanghai/Shenzhen, China, compensation typically ranges from ~¥300K–¥550K CNY annually (approx. $42K–$76K USD), with top-tier foreign tech companies offering towards the higher end. Confidence is moderate due to location ambiguity (Shanghai vs. Shenzhen), private company pay data scarcity, and no disclosed comp details.

See the AI-estimated salary range for this role

Sign up free →

Green flags

5 items
Exposure to a wide suite of products including AI Copilot, Document Platform, and Insight Builder — strong for career development in AI-adjacent engineering.growth

Discover all 5 green flags for this role

Sign up free →

Benefits breakdown

See all benefits organized by category — health, financial, time off & more

Sign up free →

Hiring insights

JD quality
6/10
Urgency
medium
Autonomy
medium
Team size
medium (5-15)

See JD quality score, hiring urgency & team details

Sign up free →

Red flags

PRO4 items
No salary or compensation information disclosed — lack of transparency is a common red flag for candidate experience.compensation

See all 4 red flags — what the JD isn't telling you

Sign up free →

Interview insights

PRO
Rounds
4
Duration
3 wks
Difficulty
medium
Take-home
Yes

Get full interview breakdown — rounds, likely topics & prep tips

Sign up free →

Career path

PRO
Next roles
Software Engineer IISenior Software EngineerBackend Engineer (Logistics/Platform)

See where this role leads — full career progression

Sign up free →
About the company

Flexport is a technology-powered freight forwarder and supply chain logistics platform that moves over $19 billion in merchandise annually. By replacing paper-based processes with software, Flexport gives businesses real-time visibility into their global supply chains across ocean, air, trucking, and rail freight.

HQSan Francisco, CA, USA
Interview difficultymedium
Build vs Maintainboth
Cross-functionalYes