Head of Backend

Clera is hiring a remote candidate for Head of Backend. This is a full time position. Work location: UK. The role typically involves technologies such as Node.js, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, PHP, Go, AWS.

ABOUT THE ROLE

A fast-growing productivity SaaS startup is looking for a Head of Backend to lead and scale its backend engineering function. You'll join a small, highly capable development team and play a pivotal role in consolidating a microservices architecture, driving performance and reliability improvements, and powering new product growth through well-crafted APIs and integrations. This is a hands-on leadership role - you'll both shape engineering direction and write production code every day.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Expand, consolidate, and scale a microservices backend architecture for a high-growth product.
• Improve overall backend performance, reliability, and security posture.
• Design and develop new REST APIs for both internal and external consumers.
• Build and maintain integrations with third-party services and external APIs.
• Create internal tooling to streamline development and operations workflows.
• Define and contribute to software lifecycle processes and engineering best practices.
• Proactively propose innovative features and backend solutions aligned with product goals.
• Occasionally engage directly with customers to triage and reproduce bugs.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Required skills & experience: 11+ years of professional backend development experience (minimum 6 years considered for exceptional profiles).
• Strong hands-on proficiency in Go and Node.js; PHP familiarity is a bonus.
• Proven experience building and consuming REST APIs with OAuth2 authentication.
• Deep experience with distributed systems and microservices architecture.
• Solid knowledge of PostgreSQL or other relational databases and caching systems.
• Proficiency with Unix-based systems, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, or equivalent).
• Experience scaling infrastructure and implementing monitoring and logging solutions.
• Strong fundamentals in algorithms, data structures, and software design.
• Proficient with Git version control.
• Strong spoken and written English communication skills.
• Nice to have Experience with third-party and external API integrations.
• Security hardening background for backend services.
• Experience building developer-facing internal tools.

The ideal candidate is: a collaborative, security-conscious engineer-leader who sweats the details, cares about user experience at the API level, and brings a flexible, can-do mindset to a small team environment.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary: $80,000 - $120,000 USD annually, depending on experience.
• Opportunity to shape backend architecture at a critical growth stage (Series A/B equivalent).
• Small team with high ownership and direct product impact.
• Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

LOCATION

This is an on-site position based in Canada. Candidates must be eligible to work in Canada without visa sponsorship. Skills required for this role include Node.js, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, and related tools for day-to-day development.

Seniority level: Senior.