Lead Software Engineer-Backend (PHP)

Commerce.com; Austin (TX); Remote; USD 182,000 - 259,000; Full time

Job summary

Commerce is seeking a Lead Software Engineer - Backend to drive the technical vision for our backend platforms across a remote-first engineering organization. You will guide architecture, ensure scalable, high-availability services, and partner with Staff Engineers to deliver projects aligned to our platform roadmap.

You will own end-to-end delivery, mentor engineers, and advance our CI/CD practices, containerization, and cloud-native design in a fast-growing ecommerce ecosystem that values

Qualifications

• 7+ years of backend programming experience.
• Strong PHP experience required.
• Experience with MySQL and database schema design.
• Familiarity with caching and scalability considerations.
• Experience with Docker and CI/CD workflows.
• Strong knowledge of Linux environments and cloud solutions (GCP preferred).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical vision to advance the domain and align with the platform roadmap.
• Design scalable, high-availability backend solutions.
• Own end-to-end project execution including scoping and delivery.
• Participate in RFCs and architectural discussions for tooling and processes.
• Mentor engineers and promote CI/CD best practices and automation.

Skills

Backend development

PHP

Distributed systems

MySQL

Docker

CI/CD

GCP

Linux

Education

BS in Computer Science

Tools

Git

Kubernetes

gRPC

Redis

Docker

Job description

Welcome to the Agentic Commerce Era At Commerce, our mission is to empower businesses to innovate, grow, and thrive with our open, AI-driven commerce ecosystem. As the parent company of BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift, we connect the tools and systems that power growth, enabling businesses to unlock the full potential of their data, deliver seamless and personalized experiences across every channel, and adapt swiftly to an ever-changing market. We believe in harnessing AI responsibly to unlock new possibilities, and we're looking for individuals who use it intentionally to solve problems, accelerate outcomes, and expand what's possible in their role. Our purpose is to help businesses confidently solve complex commerce challenges so they can build smarter, adapt faster, and grow on their own terms. If you want to be part of a team of bold builders, sharp thinkers, and technical trailblazers who shape the future of commerce, this is the place for you. We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced Lead Software Engineer - Backend to join the fully remote Engineering team at Feedonomics. As a Lead, you will define the technical vision for your domain and engage with Staff Engineers to deliver projects aligned to our broader platform vision.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical vision to advance the domain and engage with Staff Engineers to deliver projects aligned to the platform vision.
• Design and implement high-quality solutions to the most complex and ambiguous problems in the domain, with focus on scalability and high availability.
• Own end-to-end technical project execution, including scoping, sequencing, forecasting ECDs, and driving delivery towards deadlines.
• Participate in RFCs and architectural discussions, evaluating and recommending tools, technologies, and processes that solve concrete business problems.
• Own and represent deep SME across complex and sophisticated areas, guiding design decisions and influencing technical direction.
• Proactively monitor the state of the team's services and recommend optimizations based on data.
• Advocate for practices and implement tooling to enable others, leveraging automation to enhance the robustness of the CI/CD pipeline, thereby streamlining efficient application development and deployment.
• Be a champion for Continuous Improvement in end-to-end infrastructure and systems, including conducting post-mortems to analyze and prevent repeat failures.
• Act as a dedicated mentor to multiple mentees, providing insightful feedback about teammates to help them excel.
• Drive team-level education and documentation practices to foster a culture of shared learning.
• Proactively identify and build important relationships with partner teams to ensure cross-functional alignment.

Requirements

• 7+ years of programming experience in backend languages
• Strong experience with PHP is required (Experience with Python, GoLang, Java or a similar programming language is a bonus).
• Extensive experience with MySQL or a similar technology, paired with a strong understanding of database schema design, caching and scalability.
• Strong understanding of various communication protocols (TCP, gRPC, etc) and Distributed Systems.
• Ability to perform time and memory complexity analysis.
• Experience in Caching technologies (e.g. Redis or Memcached).
• DevOps experience is highly preferred.
• Solid understanding of Linux operating systems and experience with modern CI/CD and containerization tools like Docker.
• Experience with Cloud solutions (GCP highly preferred)
• Experience with Full-stack observability frameworks and tools (OTel highly preferred)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• Education BS or higher degree in Computer Science or related technical field.

Pay Transparency Range: $182,000.00 - $259,000.00

Work Where You Thrive Commerce is a remote-first company. For team members in Austin, Atlanta, and London, we offer optional collaborative workspaces for team gatherings, workshops, and in-person connection. Use them whenever they're helpful, balancing focused individual work with meaningful in-person collaboration.

Compensation Transparency The national base salary range for this role is posted above in this job post. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, qualifications and geographic location. We also consider internal equity to help ensure fair and consistent pay practices across our teams. Where applicable, this role may also be eligible for variable compensation (such as bonus or commission), equity, and benefits in accordance with local policies. Details will be shared during the hiring process. We are committed to equitable and transparent pay practices that align to market data, internal equity, and individual contribution.

At Commerce, we believe that celebrating the unique histories, perspectives and abilities of every employee makes a difference for our company, our customers and our community. We are an equal opportunity employer and the inclusive atmosphere we build together will make room for every person to contribute, grow and thrive. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you require accommodations or adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

The Commerce story is one of global growth, incredible talent, and unstoppable passion in all we do. Despite our huge success so far, we're still just getting started! Explore our history, mission and values. You'll see we're set on shaping the now - and the future - of eCommerce. We're a group of clever, committed, curious people, unleashing talent in all we do. We believe in the power of togetherness, striving at the edge of what's possible, impacting the lives of billions of people for the better. In all we do, We Do Extraordinary-and that's no small feat! Our people are our power. It's only through dedication, collaboration, and inspiration that we can Do Extraordinary. We're natural problem-solvers, champions of empowering businesses, and hungry learners... but we also play nerf wars in the office, support each other, and hang out outside of work.