Founding Backend Engineer

HCL International; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Fully remote and flexible work culture

Opportunity to influence product and tech direction

Job summary

HCL International is seeking a Lead Backend Engineer in New York, NY, to take ownership of core backend systems for a stealth-mode venture at the intersection of entertainment and media. Ideal candidates should have over 5 years of experience in backend development and distributed systems. Responsibilities include architecting backend systems, mentoring junior developers, and influencing product direction. The role offers equity options and a fully remote, flexible work culture.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend development experience.
• Strong experience across distributed systems and API design.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and deployment at scale.

Responsibilities

• Architect and evolve core backend systems.
• Establish engineering processes and best practices.
• Help define and track product KPIs.

Skills

Backend development

Distributed systems

API design

Leadership or mentoring

Strong communication skills

Blockchain experience

Job description

New York, United States | Posted on 06/26/2025

A stealth-mode venture at the intersection of entertainment, media, and audience-led investment is seeking a Lead Backend Engineer to take ownership of its platform’s core systems. This is a unique opportunity to join an early-stage team building a highly scalable product in a space combining interactive content, audience investment, and Web3 infrastructure.

The ideal candidate is a senior engineer ready to shape backend architecture, mentor others, and help scale both systems and team as the product moves toward mass adoption.

Key Responsibilities:

• Architect and evolve core backend systems
• Contribute as a hands-on individual contributor
• Establish engineering processes and best practices
• Collaborate closely with product and design
• Conduct code reviews and uphold engineering quality
• Guide and mentor junior developers
• Help define and track product KPIs
• Support experimentation and A/B testing
• Take ownership of deployment, monitoring, and scaling
• Influence hiring as the engineering team grows

Tech Environment:

Ideal Profile:

• 5+ years of backend development experience
• Strong experience across distributed systems and API design
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and deployment at scale
• Previous leadership or mentoring experience (preferred)
• Experience with Web3, blockchain, or tokenized platforms (bonus)
• Strong communication and documentation skills
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving startup environment

What’s on Offer:

• Equity options
• Fully remote and flexible work culture
• Opportunity to influence product and tech direction from day one