Principal Backend Software Engineer

We are looking for a passionate and skilled Principal Software Engineer who thrives in a hands-on technical role with a focus on owning the quality of the code and systems they develop. The ideal candidate will be responsible for driving the end-to-end delivery of features and systems, ensuring high standards of quality, performance, and maintainability throughout the development lifecycle. If you are committed to shipping reliable and scalable solutions, and enjoy solving complex problems, this is the role for you. 

Responsibilities: 

End-to-End Development: Own the design, development, testing, deployment, and support of backend features and systems from concept to production. 

API Development: Design, build, and maintain RESTful and/or GraphQL APIs, ensuring they are performant, secure, and scalable. 

Database Design: Develop and optimize relational and NoSQL database schemas, queries, and performance tuning. 

Quality Ownership: Ensure high code quality, performance, and maintainability by following best practices and conducting thorough code reviews, automated testing, and performance monitoring. 

Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including frontend engineers, product managers, and designers, to deliver cohesive solutions that meet business and technical objectives. 

System Reliability: Monitor and improve the health, performance, and security of backend systems, ensuring timely resolution of issues and bugs. 

Technical Innovation: Stay current with new technologies and trends to ensure backend systems are modern, scalable, and aligned with industry best practices. 

Required Qualifications: 

Node.js Expertise: Deep understanding of Node.js and the surrounding ecosystem, including Express, Fastify, or other frameworks. 

TypeScript Expertise: Experience using TypeScript for backend development, with a focus on strong typing and maintainability. 

Asynchronous Programming: Advanced knowledge of promises, async/await, and event-driven architecture. 

Database Management: Proficient with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Redis), including schema design, indexing, and optimization. 

API Design: Strong experience designing and building secure, performant APIs with attention to versioning and scalability. 

Testing and Debugging: Familiarity with testing frameworks (e.g., Jest, Mocha, Supertest) and debugging tools. 

CI/CD Pipelines: Experience with continuous integration and deployment tools (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, CircleCI). 

Cloud Services: Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes). 

Security Best Practices: Understanding of security standards, such as OAuth, JWT, and data encryption techniques. 

Code Quality and Standards: Strong adherence to best practices, including clean code, maintainability, and thorough documentation. 

Performance Optimization: Proven experience profiling and optimizing backend applications for scale and efficiency. 

Version Control: Proficient with Git and collaborative workflows (e.g., GitHub, GitLab). 

Desired Qualifications: 

Ownership Mindset: Passion for taking full ownership of backend features and ensuring their quality from design to production. 

Performance and Optimization: Experience profiling databases, identifying bottlenecks, and improving performance. 

Effective Communication: Comfortable explaining complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences. 

Collaboration Skills: Comfortable working in a collaborative, Agile environment, with an emphasis on communication and team success. 

Additional Requirements: 

While this is a backend-focused role, candidates should be open to contributing to frontend tasks when needed. Familiarity with the following frontend technologies is a plus: 

Frontend Frameworks: Experience with React and meta-frameworks like Next.js or Remix. 

UI Libraries: Familiarity with libraries like ShadcnUI, Radix, or MUI. 

TypeScript for Frontend: Understanding of building and managing TypeScript-based frontend applications. 

Additionally, you will enjoy some of our local benefits such as:
- Comprehensive medical, accidental, and life insurance
- Weekly wellness sessions to support your physical and mental well-being
- A generous paid time off policy