Senior Backend Engineer - #1595
CORE EXPECTATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES
• End-to-End Ownership & Autonomy: Own backend systems from greenfield development through to production. Navigate technical ambiguity independently, proactively identifying blockers and driving implementations to completion without needing constant direction.
• Systems-Led Backend Development: Develop resilient APIs using Node.js/TypeScript and PostgreSQL, designed for Just-in-Time (JIT) data access. You are responsible for writing comprehensive tests and ensuring all data is encrypted at rest and in transit.
• Infrastructure Support & Proficiency: Take operational responsibility for self-hosted components (EC2, EKS). Automate patching, hardening, and recovery, and manage secure transport protocols (SFTP/SSH).
• Cloud Infrastructure & Networking: Build and maintain multi-zone logical segmentation (Edge, Integration, App, and Vault). This includes managing virtual networking (VPC), IAM policies, and secure communication patterns.
• SaaS & Service Integration: Own the integration of critical third-party and central services (e.g., secure file-transfer gateways and notification engines). You ensure these “handshakes” are reliable, automated, and strictly auditable.
• Observability & Reliability Mindset: Design and implement a robust monitoring plane (CloudWatch, etc.). Define metrics, set up distributed tracing, and configure proactive alerting to catch issues before they impact users.
• Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC): Ensure every resource is auditable and reproducible using Terraform / AWS CDK, adhering strictly to “Policy-as-Code”.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
• 5+ years of Backend Engineering Experience: A proven track record of building, deploying, and maintaining complex, production-grade systems independently
• Demonstrated Independence: Proven track record of building, deploying, and maintaining complex, production-grade systems independently.
• Cloud Infrastructure Fluency (AWS preferred): Deep, hands-on experience with cloud-native architectures, specifically networking (VPC), identity management (IAM), and
secure data patterns.
• Technical Stack Mastery: Proficiency in Node.js/TypeScript and relational database design (PostgreSQL)
• Systems & OS Knowledge: Strong proficiency in Linux administration and container orchestration (Docker/Kubernetes). You understand the “plumbing” of how code runs on a server.
• Communication: Ability to explain complex technical trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders (PMs/Designers/Business Owners) clearly and concisely.
• Collaborative and low-ego — you care about the team succeeding, not just your own ticket closing
NICE TO HAVE
• AI-Assisted Engineering: Experience using AI tools to accelerate development. You maintain absolute accountability for the output; “vibe-coding” without manual verification is not acceptable.
• Compliance-Heavy Environments: Prior experience in government, regulatory tech, or high-compliance sectors (e.g., GCC+, IM8)
• Prior experience as a tech lead or in a 2IC capacity on a small team