Backend Engineer, Distributed Systems (English/Mandarin - Fully Bilingual requirement)

Applied Intelligence Consulting (Singapore); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intelligence Consulting (Singapore) seeks a Backend Software Engineer to design and build scalable distributed systems for a mega consumer platform in Palo Alto. You will craft high-concurrency, low-latency backend services and drive microservice governance across regions.

The role requires 2+ years to 12+ years of backend experience, strong Java or Go skills, and familiarity with MySQL, Redis, Kafka/RocketMQ, and Elasticsearch.

Qualifications

• 2+ to 12+ years of backend software engineering experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with distributed systems.
• Experience building backend systems for large-scale B2C/consumer-facing products.
• Deep understanding of high concurrency, scalability, availability, and performance optimization.
• Experience with microservices architecture and service governance.
• Proficiency in Java or Go.
• Familiarity with MySQL, Redis, Kafka/RocketMQ, and Elasticsearch.
• Strong coding fundamentals and ability to own complex backend modules.
• Experience handling large traffic volumes and latency-sensitive systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend systems for expanding international user base.
• Develop large-scale distributed backend services.
• Architect high-concurrency and high-throughput systems.
• Build low-latency online systems.
• Implement microservices and service governance.
• Design cross-region and multi-region architectures.
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and fault tolerance.
• Optimize performance at high traffic volumes.
• Develop core services for global consumer products.
• Own architecture and technical decisions, including tech selection.
• Maintain stability, scalability, and low latency.

Skills

Distributed systems

High concurrency

Scalability

Low latency

Microservices

Service governance

Java

Go

MySQL

Redis

Kafka/RocketMQ

Elasticsearch

Job description

Backend Software Engineer — Distributed Systems / Consumer Tech Platform

Location: Palo Alto, CA

Overview

• Partner with one of the world's largest consumer internet platforms, expanding its international engineering organization in Palo Alto.
• The platform serves hundreds of millions of users globally across content, community, e-commerce, and advertising.
• Engineering challenges include high concurrency, low latency, scalability, and cross-region distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend systems supporting the company’s rapidly expanding international user base.
• Develop large-scale distributed backend services.
• Architect high-concurrency and high-throughput systems.
• Build low-latency online systems.
• Implement microservices and service governance.
• Design cross-region and multi-region architectures.
• Ensure system scalability, reliability, and fault tolerance.
• Optimize performance at significant traffic volumes.
• Develop core services supporting global consumer products.
• Take meaningful ownership over architecture and technical decisions, including technology selection and design for core backend modules.
• Maintain responsibility for stability, scalability, and low latency.

Requirements

Core Requirements:

• 2 - 12+ years of professional backend software engineering experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with distributed systems.
• Experience building backend systems for large-scale B2C / consumer-facing products.
• Deep understanding of high concurrency, scalability, availability, and performance optimization.
• Experience with microservices architecture and service governance.
• Proficiency in Java or Go.
• Familiarity with technologies such as MySQL, Redis, Kafka/RocketMQ, and Elasticsearch.
• Strong coding fundamentals and ability to take ownership of complex backend modules.
• Experience handling large traffic volumes, high QPS/TPS, latency-sensitive systems, or systems serving millions of users is highly relevant.

Language Requirements

• English: Professional working proficiency required.
• Mandarin Chinese: Mandatory, due to regular collaboration with engineering and product teams in China.
• Comfortable working across geographically distributed engineering teams.

Location & Mobility

• Palo Alto: 5 days onsite.
• Candidates already based in the US are welcome to apply.
• H-1B transfers can be supported.
• Green Card sponsorship/support is available.

Why Consider This Role?

• Opportunity to work on backend infrastructure where scale is a fundamental engineering challenge.
• Build systems supporting hundreds of millions of users, solving real-world challenges involving traffic scale, latency, consistency, reliability, distributed architecture, and global expansion.
• Ideal for engineers who have built backend systems for high-scale consumer products and enjoy solving distributed systems problems.