Software Engineer – Intern

About Persona

Persona is the configurable identity platform built for businesses in a digital-first world. Verifying individuals and organizations is harder — but more important — than ever, with AI enabling fraudsters to launch sophisticated accounts at scale and regulations evolving rapidly.

We’ve built Persona to support practically every use case and industry — that’s why we’re able to serve a wide range of leading companies. For example, Instacart relies on Persona to verify shoppers who onboard onto their platform before delivering groceries to your doorstep. Meanwhile, OpenAI relies on Persona to keep bad actors out, protecting one of the world’s most powerful AI platforms from large-scale abuse in a time when AI is reshaping the way we work and live.

We believe that making the internet safer and more human requires a team that reflects the diverse, global nature of the people we aim to serve. We’re growing rapidly and looking for exceptional people to join us.

Our Engineering team and internship program

This is not your typical engineering internship. During your internship, you'll have opportunities for ownership that will significantly build your confidence as a software engineer. At one of the fastest-growing startups in technology, you'll ship code as early as your first week! You'll receive dedicated 1:1 mentorship, along with challenging technical assignments, novel product feature work, and many opportunities to stretch your technical skills, unlike ever before. We’re building both a product and a technology, but doing whatever it takes isn’t always straightforward. This role will help show you how to build the correct systems for scale, while also building something that customers want.

What you'll learn at Persona

• Build and ship: You'll design foundational aspects of the identity platform

• Partner with customers: Work directly with customers to understand their pain points and build product features for them. You’re in the driver's seat to get your project in front of real customers

• See (and ship) scale: Handle both first-time and long-time customers running a CSV data test at Super Bowl Sunday scale

• Cross-team collaboration: Discuss the unique aspects of your projects with teams such as product, design, post-sales, and sales

• Continuous learning: Work with your mentor and a close-knit team to ensure your learnings from past projects are brought into future projects, helping you grow quickly as an engineer

What you'll bring to Persona

• Pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's in computer science, engineering, math, or related discipline with a strong CS background - graduating in Spring 2027

• Previous programming experience is a must. While we use Ruby/Rails, Typescript, React, Redux, Android, iOS, and Python, we care more about engineering skills than knowledge of specific languages or frameworks

• Proficiency in full-stack development, previous experience with data modeling and schema designAbility to work independently and collaboratively to execute projects and adhere to deadlines

• Eager to discuss positive and negative feedback regarding large projects

• Willing to be in-person in San Francisco and work out of our San Francisco office Tuesday - Thursdays (WFH option Mondays and Fridays)

• You thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth startup environment

Intern Compensation & Benefits

• Generous Relocation support

• MacBook Pro laptop and additional equipment you need to be successful in your internship

• Catered lunch in the office 4x a week (Tue - Fri)

• Bevsday: Expense a beverage of your choice every Wednesday

• Intern exclusive events, offsites, & swag

Benefits and Perks

For full-time employees (excluding internship and contractor opportunities), Persona offers a wide range of benefits, including medical, dental, and vision, 3% 401(k) contribution, unlimited PTO, quarterly mental health days, family planning benefits, professional development stipend, wellness benefits, among others. While we believe competitive compensation and benefits are a critical aspect of you deciding to join us, we do hope you consider why our core values and culture are right for you. If you’d like to better understand what it’s like working at Persona, feel free to check out our reviews on Glassdoor.

Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

At Persona, we strive to put diversity and inclusion at the forefront of everything we do, reflecting our core values. Our DEIB Employee Resource Group seeks to build a diverse and inclusive team that fosters an environment where each Personerd feels empowered to bring their unique differences to work and achieve their full innovative potential. Our hope is that by fostering such an environment, we strengthen our business and relationships by putting people first.

We strive to promote a culture that celebrates diversity and inclusiveness regardless of, but not limited to, race, gender, sexual orientation, family status, religion, ethnicity, national origin, physical disability, veteran status, or age.