Senior Backend Engineer

About the Role We are looking for a Senior Backend Engineer to design, build, and operate the core backend systems of our web application. You will own critical services, shape the system architecture, and work closely with frontend and cloud engineers to deliver a reliable, scalable product. This is a hands-on role with significant influence over technical decisions and engineering standards. Responsibilities Core Engineering · Design, implement, and maintain backend services and APIs (REST, GraphQL, or gRPC) · Translate product requirements into clean, maintainable backend architecture · Own data modeling and persistence layers (SQL and/or NoSQL) · Ensure performance, scalability, and reliability of backend systems · Write clear, testable, and well-documented code System Design & Architecture · Contribute to system design decisions and architectural trade-offs · Define service boundaries and integration patterns · Review designs and code from other engineers · Balance speed of delivery with long-term maintainability Collaboration · Work closely with frontend engineers to define API contracts · Collaborate with cloud/platform engineers on deployment, scaling, and observability · Participate in technical planning and estimation · Mentor junior engineers through code reviews and pairing Quality & Operations · Implement unit, integration, and contract tests · Participate in production readiness and incident analysis (as needed) · Improve observability through logs, metrics, and traces · Identify and reduce technical debt proactively Required Qualifications · 6+ years of professional backend development experience · Strong proficiency in at least one backend language (e.g. Python, Java, Go, Rust, Node.js) · Experience building APIs for production systems · Solid understanding of: · Data structures and algorithms · Relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, MySQL) · Distributed systems fundamentals · Experience with cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure) · Strong code review and debugging skills · Ability to work independently and take ownership Preferred Qualifications · Experience with microservices or modular monoliths · Familiarity with messaging systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ, Pub/Sub) · Experience with containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes) · Exposure to Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Pulumi) · Experience designing systems that scale beyond a single instance · Prior mentorship or tech lead responsibilities What Success Looks Like · Backend services are reliable, well-structured, and easy to evolve · APIs are clear, stable, and well-documented · Production issues are rare and diagnosable · Other engineers trust your technical judgment · The system supports new features without major rewrites Nice-to-Have Traits · Product-minded engineering approach · Strong written communication skills · Comfort making trade-offs under uncertainty · Curiosity about performance, security, and scalability