Lead Backend Engineer

Accylerate; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Accylerate is seeking a Lead Backend Engineer to own design and delivery of scalable, cloud-native applications on AWS, while mentoring engineering teams. You will work across Node.js/TypeScript backend, serverless patterns, and GenAI integrations to deliver secure, observable systems.

You will lead Agile processes, collaborate with product owners, and drive engineering excellence with a focus on maintainability and performance across end-to-end solutions.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in designing, building, testing, and managing scalable AWS web apps.
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Responsibilities

• Design scalable, secure, reusable software using cloud-native patterns.
• Collaborate with product owners and architects to uphold engineering standards.
• Break down features into actionable, verifiable technical changes.
• Design and implement rapid testing of new concepts, often React apps.
• Create technical and non-technical documentation.
• Mentor peers and conduct thoughtful code reviews.
• Resolve production issues with urgency and precision.
• Uphold security, CI/CD, and testability standards.
• Grow skills in GenAI and related technologies.
• Lead GenAI architecture discussions with Enterprise Architecture.
• Advise on tools to safely deploy Generative AI solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Agile SCRUM

Communication

Code review

Architectural design

Problem-solving

GenAI knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Node.js

TypeScript

AWS

Serverless

React

Next.js

APIs

CloudWatch

X-Ray

RAG/LLM tools

DynamoDB

S3

Lambda

API Gateway

PostgreSQL

MySQL

Job description

Ideal Candidate Profile

Seeking a Lead Backend Engineer with good experience designing and delivering scalable, cloud-native applications on AWS, combined with proven leadership in mentoring engineering teams and driving technical excellence. Expert in Node.js (TypeScript), serverless architectures, APIs, and modern database technologies, with hands‑on experience building Generative AI solutions such as RAG applications and LLM‑powered services. Adept at leading end‑to‑end software development in Agile environments, establishing engineering best practices, and ensuring high standards for security, performance, observability, and maintainability. Candidate should have both leadership and hands‑on development skills.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

Design and Development (60%)

• Design and deliver high‑quality software that is scalable, secure, and reusable—leveraging modern technologies, proven design patterns, and cloud‑native practices to power BigFuture's core tools.
• Collaborate with product owners, architects, and stakeholders to uphold the highest engineering standards and translate big ideas into impactful, student‑facing solutions.
• Break down new product capabilities into actionable, verifiable technical changes that move quickly from concept to reality.
• Design and implement solutions to allow rapid testing of innovative concepts using the latest technologies, typically React web apps.
• Create shareable documentation, both technical and non‑technical.
• Exercise discretion in prototyping: investing time to make sure the most important things work well, and working with the team to mock or minimize less important features.
• Maintain clean code and strong engineering standards such that when prototypes are greenlit for further development, the project is easy to build upon.
• Continuously develop the skills required to work with this rapidly developing technology.

Team Operations & Success (30%)

• Participate in, or lead Agile SCRUM ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Grooming, Daily SCRUM, Demo) by contributing to team deliverables and driving alignment, focus, and momentum across sprints.
• Elevate team performance by giving and receiving thoughtful code reviews, mentoring peers, and helping solve complex technical challenges.
• Assist in resolving production issues with urgency and precision, ensuring a smooth and reliable user experience.
• Model discipline in adhering to development standards, security practices, and CI/CD principles while helping the team move fast without compromising quality.
• Continuously grow your skills and embrace a poly‑skilled environment where everyone contributes beyond their specialty.
• Serve as an organizational Subject Matter Expert on implementing Generative AI applications.
• Work with our Enterprise Architecture team to review and/or establish implementation patterns involving Generative AI tools.
• Advise on, and where feasible, create tools and infrastructure that will enable teams to safely deploy Generative AI tools.

Learning & Sharing (10%)

• Keep abreast of developments in GenAI capabilities and implementations.
• Share knowledge of new developments with the team via chats, meetings, and presentations when appropriate.
• Serve as an advisor to internal teams developing staff education around Generative AI.

Required Skills & Experience

• 7+ years of professional experience designing, building, testing, and managing scalable web applications in AWS‑hosted environments.
• 3+ years' experience building back‑end applications using Node (with TypeScript).
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redshift, DynamoDB).
• Experience building observability for your products: setting up CloudWatch, X‑Ray, for logging, metrics, and alerts.
• Hands‑on experience implementing Generative AI applications (e.g., RAG chatbots, model fine‑tuning, or other LLM‑powered tools).
• Enthusiasm for learning new technologies, especially in the fast‑moving GenAI space.
• Strong knowledge and hands‑on experience with back‑end technologies such as Node.js.
• Experience with asynchronous programming and event‑driven messaging patterns.
• Strong knowledge of AWS services (e.g., Lambda, SNS, SQS, S3, Step Functions, IAM, KMS, API Gateway, CloudWatch, DynamoDB).
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments.
• Proven ability to mentor and coach less experienced teammates in new technologies.
• Strong analytical thinking, structured problem‑solving, and practical decision‑making skills.
• Effective communication and documentation skills.
• Proficiency in reviewing and improving code structure and architecture for testability, maintainability, and scalability, with hands‑on experience in JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Node.js, Next.js, APIs, and AWS Serverless technologies (Lambdas, DynamoDB, S3, CloudWatch, etc.).
• Leadership in the end‑to‑end design and implementation of user interfaces, from architectural planning and component strategy through to polished execution, including accessibility, performance optimization, and mentoring peers on building intuitive, scalable, and user‑centric front‑end solutions.
• Strong problem‑solving skills, working collaboratively with team members to identify and resolve issues, and partnering with Product Owners to prioritize backlog.
• Proven ability to pitch new ideas and implement improved systems and processes, delivering excellent results.
• Effective communicator and team lead, able to provide actionable feedback, mentor team members, and participate in interviews to evaluate engineering talent.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, or related engineering fields preferred.