Hybrid Principal Backend Architect

Placements24; Pretoria; Hybrid; ZAR 1,600,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead backend architecture and drive the development of high-performance, scalable systems in our Pretoria office. The role blends architectural leadership with hands-on coding and mentorship, influencing technical strategy across teams.

You will collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to design robust APIs, mentor engineers, and champion best practices. A hybrid work model and opportunities for advanced training are offered.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of professional software development experience with backend focus.
• Deep expertise in at least one major backend language (Java, Python, Go, C#).
• Experience designing distributed systems and microservices architecture.

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural design and implementation of complex backend systems and services.
• Develop and maintain robust, scalable APIs and microservices.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers to grow technical skills.
• Champion best practices in code quality, testing, and performance optimization.
• Collaborate with product managers to translate requirements into technical solutions.
• Address technical debt and system limitations.
• Evaluate and integrate new technologies to enhance development efficiency.
• Troubleshoot production issues and contribute to long-term technical roadmap.
• Conduct thorough code reviews and provide constructive feedback.

Skills

Backend leadership

Distributed systems

Mentoring

Code quality

Communication

Education

Master's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS/Azure/GCP

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead backend architecture and drive the development of high-performance, scalable systems in our Pretoria office. The role blends architectural leadership with hands-on coding and mentorship, influencing technical strategy across teams.

You will collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to design robust APIs, mentor engineers, and champion best practices. A hybrid work model and opportunities for advanced training are offered.