Lead Software Engineer | Back-End Focused | $150 – $180K Nz

Bigwave Digital; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Big Wave Digital is seeking a Lead Software Engineer in Auckland, New Zealand to design and build modern backend services. You will shape platform architecture, drive reliability and performance, and own systems from design to production.

You’ll lead in an engineering-first culture with a global audience and collaborate with Product and Design to scale the digital platform. You’ll bring 10+ years building backend platforms, strong Python/Django experience, and expertise in REST/GraphQL,

Qualifications

• 10+ years building modern backend platforms.
• Strong Python experience, ideally Django.
• REST and GraphQL API expertise.
• PostgreSQL or MySQL.
• AWS cloud experience.
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, AWS CDK or similar).
• Docker and containerised applications.
• CI/CD and modern DevOps practices.
• Experience designing distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of reliability, scalability and observability.
• Experience working in product-led engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and build modern backend services that are reliable, scalable and built to last.
• Tackle architectural, reliability and performance challenges across platform components.
• Own systems from early design through to production, continually improving how the platform evolves.

Skills

Python

Django

REST API

GraphQL

PostgreSQL

MySQL

AWS

IaC Terraform

AWS CDK

Docker

CI/CD

Distributed systems

Observability

Product-led engineering

Tools

Terraform

AWS CDK

Docker

Job description

This Lead Software Engineer job in Auckland, New Zealand pays $150,000 to $180,000 and is your chance to build the platform behind a global entertainment experience.

Some engineers build software. Others build worlds that people keep coming back to.

We’re partnering with an ambitious New Zealand entertainment company that’s investing heavily in its digital future. While they’re not a technology company by definition, they’re building an engineering-first culture where great software is viewed as a competitive advantage, not just a support function.

If you’re passionate about building scalable platforms, influencing architecture and solving interesting engineering problems, this is an opportunity to have genuine impact.

Why this Lead Software Engineer role is different

You’ll join a business where engineering has a real voice. You’ll work alongside Product, Design and Engineering to shape the future of a growing digital platform that supports a passionate global audience. This isn’t about maintaining legacy systems. It’s about building the platform that enables the business to scale over the next decade. You’ll have the opportunity to influence architecture, raise engineering standards and remain deeply hands-on while helping other engineers grow.

Your quest

You’ll design and build modern backend services that are reliable, scalable and built to last. You’ll tackle interesting challenges around:

• Platform architecture
• Distributed systems
• Cloud infrastructure
• API design
• Reliability and performance
• Developer experience
• Engineering standards
• Production operations

You’ll own systems from early design through to production, continually improving how the platform evolves.

What we look for in a Lead Software Engineer

• Thinks in systems, not just features.
• Loves solving complex engineering problems.
• Enjoys balancing speed with long-term maintainability.
• Likes mentoring engineers without moving away from the code.
• Collaborates well with Product and Design.
• Takes ownership rather than waiting for direction.
• Wants to help shape engineering culture.

You’ll probably bring

• 10+ years building modern backend platforms.
• Strong Python experience, ideally Django.
• REST and GraphQL API expertise.
• PostgreSQL or MySQL.
• AWS cloud experience.
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, AWS CDK or similar).
• Docker and containerised applications.
• CI/CD and modern DevOps practices.
• Experience designing distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of reliability, scalability and observability.
• Experience working in product-led engineering teams.

Bonus experience

You’ll stand out if you’ve worked in:

• Product companies.
• High-growth environments.
• Entertainment, gaming or digital media.
• Platforms supporting large global user bases.
• Event-driven architectures.
• Developer tooling or platform engineering.

An interest in gaming or interactive entertainment would certainly be welcomed, but isn’t essential.

Why join?

Because you’ll have genuine ownership. Because your technical decisions will matter. Because you’ll work with people who care about building software well. Because you’ll help shape an engineering-first culture inside a creative business that’s investing heavily in technology.

As a Lead Software Engineer here you set the technical bar rather than inherit it. If you’re looking for a role where you can influence architecture, mentor engineers and continue building great software yourself, we’d love to hear from you.

Location: Auckland, New Zealand (Hybrid)
Employment Type: Full-time
Seniority Level: Mid-Senior level

About this Lead Software Engineer opportunity

Big Wave Digital has been placing senior and lead engineers into product teams across Australia and New Zealand for more than a decade, so we can give you a straight read on the team, the codebase and the trade-offs before you ever sit an interview. A Lead Software Engineer move is a big one, and we would rather you make it with full information than be sold a job description.

If back-end depth is your thing, the Zen of Python is still a decent reminder of the engineering values this team shares. You can also browse our other technology jobs if the timing on this one is not right.