Principal Software Engineer, Backend

Centum Search; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare startup in Boston, MA, is seeking a Principal Backend Software Engineer to lead the design and development of scalable backend systems. The ideal candidate will have 8–12+ years of experience focused on backend development, expertise in Python, Go, or Scala, and a strong background in distributed systems. Responsibilities include defining architecture, mentoring engineers, and collaborating with product teams. This hybrid role requires 3–4 days onsite and offers the chance to impact healthcare delivery through technology.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of experience in software engineering with backend focus.
• Experience designing and building distributed systems and APIs.
• Ability to lead technical architecture while remaining hands-on.

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable backend services and APIs for healthcare applications.
• Define system architecture and make key technical decisions.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to technical leadership.

Skills

Distributed systems and APIs

Backend development

Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Mentoring engineers

Tools

Python

Go

Scala

Relational and non-relational databases

Job description

This role requires 3-4 days onsite in Boston, MA.

About the Company

Centum Search is representing a healthcare startup focused on building technology that improves how care is delivered, accessed, and managed. Our platform helps healthcare providers, patients, and organizations make better decisions through modern software and data-driven insights.

Our engineering team is focused on building scalable systems that can support rapid growth while maintaining high standards for reliability, security, and compliance.

The Role

We are looking for a Principal Backend Software Engineer to lead the design and development of our core backend systems. This role will focus on building scalable services and data systems that power our healthcare platform.

As a senior technical leader, you will help define architecture, establish engineering best practices, and mentor engineers while remaining deeply hands‑on in the codebase.

This role reports to the engineering leadership team and will work closely with product, infrastructure, and data teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable backend services and APIs that power core healthcare applications
• Define system architecture and make key technical decisions for backend systems
• Develop reliable and secure systems that meet healthcare regulatory and compliance requirements
• Improve system performance, scalability, and reliability as the platform grows
• Collaborate with product managers, data teams, and other engineers to deliver new platform capabilities
• Mentor engineers and contribute to technical leadership across the engineering team
• Establish engineering best practices around code quality, testing, observability, and system design

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on backend development
• Strong experience designing and building distributed systems and APIs
• Expertise in one or more backend languages such as Python, Go, or Scala
• Experience working with relational and non‑relational databases
• Strong experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure
• Experience building and operating scalable systems in production environments
• Ability to lead technical architecture while remaining hands‑on

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in healthcare, healthtech, or regulated environments
• Familiarity with healthcare data standards such as FHIR or HL7
• Experience with event‑driven systems, microservices architecture, and distributed systems
• Experience building secure systems that handle sensitive data (HIPAA‑compliant systems)
• Experience mentoring engineers or acting as a technical lead

What Youll Work On

• Core backend platform services
• Data infrastructure and integrations with healthcare systems
• APIs used by clinicians, patients, and partners
• Systems that support secure healthcare data exchange