Principal backend engineer - distributed systems

Our client is seeking a highly experienced and innovative Principal Backend Engineer to join their fully remote, elite engineering team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, building, and scaling complex distributed systems that form the backbone of our platform. You will tackle challenging architectural problems, mentor senior engineers, and drive technical strategy for backend development. This is an exceptional opportunity for a thought leader in backend engineering to shape the future of our technology stack and work on highly scalable, mission-critical systems in a collaborative, remote-first environment.

Key Responsibilities Design, develop, and maintain highly scalable, fault-tolerant, and performant distributed systems. Lead architectural decisions and technology choices for backend services. Mentor and guide other engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and best practices. Optimize system performance, reliability, and resource utilization. Collaborate with product management and other engineering teams to define and deliver robust technical solutions. Champion best practices in coding, testing, security, and deployment. Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues in production environments. Requirements Master's or Ph. D. in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent extensive experience. 8+ years of professional experience in backend software development, with a significant focus on distributed systems. Expertise in designing and building large-scale, high-throughput systems. Proficiency in one or more modern backend languages (e.g., Go, Java, Python, C++). Deep understanding of microservices architecture, data consistency, and concurrency. Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and container orchestration (Kubernetes). Strong knowledge of databases, caching strategies, and message queuing systems. Benefits Industry-leading salary and generous equity options. Top-tier health, dental, and vision insurance coverage. Fully remote work with flexible scheduling options. Significant budget for professional development, conferences, and continuous learning. Opportunity to work on challenging problems with a brilliant and supportive team.