Backend Software Team Lead

HavocAI Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance (2

Life Insurance (Employer Paid)

401k with Matching

Unlimited PTO (2 weeks minimum)

Equity Package

Work/Home Office Stipend

Global Entry

16 Weeks Paid Parental Leave

Monthly Health and Wellness Stipend

Job summary

HavocAI Inc. is seeking a Backend Team Lead to drive the development of scalable, high-performance backend systems powering our autonomous platforms.

You will manage and grow a backend engineering team, set technical direction, and own reliability, security, and performance of backend services. You will collaborate with Frontend, Platform, Autonomy, and Embedded teams to deliver reliable systems in real-world environments.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in backend or distributed systems engineering.
• Strong expertise in Go and building highly concurrent systems.
• Proven people management experience, including directly managing, developing, and reviewing engineers.
• Experience designing and operating distributed systems at scale.
• Strong API design and system architecture skills.
• Experience with Kubernetes and containerized environments.
• Deep understanding of performance optimization, data structures, and system design.
• Ability to drive projects from concept to production.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and eligible to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance, if required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of backend engineers, driving execution and technical excellence.
• Own people management for the team, including hiring, performance reviews, career development, coaching, and regular 1:1s.
• Set engineering standards and guide architectural direction in partnership with the Backend Tech Lead.
• Own the backend roadmap and delivery in partnership with Product and Engineering Leadership.
• Foster a culture of ownership, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Design, build, and maintain scalable, highly concurrent backend services in Go.
• Partner with the Backend Tech Lead to architect distributed systems that support high throughput, reliability, and real-time operations.
• Define service boundaries, APIs, and data models across backend systems.
• Optimize backend systems for performance, scalability, and resilience.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks in distributed systems and concurrency-heavy workloads.
• Ensure systems meet high standards for uptime and operational reliability.
• Partner with Frontend, Platform, Autonomy, and Embedded teams to integrate services across applications and devices.
• Support end-to-end system design from edge devices to cloud infrastructure.
• Contribute to system-level architecture across the technology stack.
• Enforce secure development practices across backend systems.
• Maintain high standards for code quality, testing, and documentation.

Skills

Backend engineering

Go

People management

Distributed systems

API design

Kubernetes

Performance optimization

Project leadership

Tools

Kubernetes

AWS

Job description

About Us:

Havoc is a leader in all-domain collaborative autonomy. Its software-defined hardware approach powers military and commercial-grade autonomous systems across sea, air, and land to sense, decide, and act together in complex and contested environments. Havoc connects assets, enabling them to share information, adapt in real time, and continue operating even when communications are disrupted or denied. Havoc optimizes mission performance and minimizes human risk.
Havoc was founded in 2024 and headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. Learn more at Havoc: All-Domain Collaborative Autonomy.

About the Role:

We are seeking a Backend Team Lead to lead the development of scalable, high-performance backend systems that power our autonomous platforms.

In this role, you will manage and grow a team of backend engineers, set technical direction, and own the reliability, security, and performance of the team's backend services. A Backend Tech Lead will report to you, and you will partner closely with them on architecture and execution while staying technically engaged. You will report to Engineering Leadership.

You will work closely with Frontend, Platform, Autonomy, and Embedded teams to deliver systems that operate reliably in real-world, mission-critical environments.

This role is ideal for someone who combines deep backend expertise with proven people management experience and strong technical leadership, and thrives in fast-paced, high-ownership environments.

What You’ll Do

Technical Leadership & Team Ownership

• Lead and mentor a team of backend engineers, driving execution and technical excellence.

• Own people management for the team, including hiring, performance reviews, career development, coaching, and regular 1:1s.

• Set engineering standards and guide architectural direction in partnership with the Backend Tech Lead.

• Own the backend roadmap and delivery in partnership with Product and Engineering Leadership.

• Foster a culture of ownership, quality, and continuous improvement.

Backend Architecture & Development

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, highly concurrent backend services in Go.

• Partner with the Backend Tech Lead to architect distributed systems that support high throughput, reliability, and real-time operations.

• Define service boundaries, APIs, and data models across backend systems.

System Performance & Reliability

• Optimize backend systems for performance, scalability, and resilience.

• Identify and resolve bottlenecks in distributed systems and concurrency-heavy workloads.

• Ensure systems meet high standards for uptime and operational reliability.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Frontend, Platform, Autonomy, and Embedded teams to integrate services across applications and devices.

• Support end-to-end system design from edge devices to cloud infrastructure.

• Contribute to system-level architecture across the technology stack.

Security & Best Practices

• Enforce secure development practices across backend systems.

• Maintain high standards for code quality, testing, and documentation.

What We’re Looking For

• 8+ years of experience in backend or distributed systems engineering.

• Strong expertise in Go and building highly concurrent systems.

• Proven people management experience, including directly managing, developing, and reviewing engineers.

• Experience designing and operating distributed systems at scale.

• Strong API design and system architecture skills.

• Experience with Kubernetes and containerized environments.

• Deep understanding of performance optimization, data structures, and system design.

• Ability to drive projects from concept to production.

• Must be a U.S. Citizen and eligible to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance, if required.

Nice to Have

• Experience in IoT, robotics, or distributed hardware systems.

• Strong networking fundamentals and debugging experience.

• Experience with AWS or other cloud-based infrastructure.

• Familiarity with embedded systems or hardware integration.

What Success Looks Like (12 Months)

• A high-performing backend team delivering reliably and consistently.

• Scalable backend systems supporting real-world deployments.

• Clear architectural standards and well-defined service boundaries.

• Improved system performance, reliability, and maintainability.

• Strong cross-functional alignment across Platform, Autonomy, and Product teams.

Location

Remote within the United States.

Benefits:

• 100% Employer paid Health, Dental and Vision Insurance for you and your families

• Life Insurance (Employer Paid)

• Ability to participate in the companies 401k program (Matching)

• Unlimited PTO policy with an enforced 2 week minimum

• Equity Package

• Work / Home Office Stipend

• Global Entry

• 16 Week Paid Parental Leave

• Monthly Health and Wellness Stipend

Our Values:

• Innovation: We are driven to break new ground. Every day presents an opportunity to challenge the status quo, think boldly, and deliver advanced solutions that transform the future of defense technology.

• Integrity: We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, ensuring transparency, accountability, and trust in all our actions and partnerships.

• Mission-Driven: We are focused on achieving impactful outcomes that align with our core mission—protecting lives through innovation.

• Forward-Leaning: We continuously seek out new opportunities and remain at the forefront of technological advancements. We embrace change and anticipate the challenges of tomorrow with confidence and creativity.

• Ownership of All Tasks: At HavocAI, no problem is too complex or too trivial. We believe that greatness comes from tackling the hardest challenges, but also in handling the smallest, sometimes thankless, tasks with the same level of commitment and care.

• Servant Leadership: We lead by serving others, whether it’s supporting our employees, partners, or the broader community. Empowering those around us is key to achieving long-term success and making a lasting impact.

HavocAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.