Lead Backend Architect for Scalable SaaS

Placements24; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonuses

Health insurance

Equity grants

Professional development

Retirement plan

Port Elizabeth team

Job summary

Placements24 in Port Elizabeth is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead backend development for enterprise-grade systems. You will design scalable services, supervise a team of engineers, and set technical direction while collaborating with product and frontend teams.

The role requires 10+ years in software engineering, deep distributed systems expertise, and proficiency in Java, Python, or Go, plus cloud experience (AWS/Azure/GCP) and Docker/Kubernetes.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in professional software engineering with backend focus.
• Experience designing and building large-scale distributed systems.
• Proficiency in a major backend language (e.g., Java, Python, Go, C#).
• Deep understanding of SQL/NoSQL databases and data modeling.
• Cloud platforms experience (AWS/Azure/GCP) and microservices architecture.
• RESTful API design and consumption expertise.
• Strong software architecture knowledge and design patterns.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of scalable backend services and APIs.
• Architect complex systems and ensure robust design patterns.
• Mentor and lead engineers, promote best practices.
• Collaborate with product, frontend, and stakeholders to implement features.
• Optimize performance, identify bottlenecks, and implement solutions.
• Ensure security and integrity of data and systems.
• Drive adoption of new technologies and development methodologies.
• Conduct code reviews and contribute to documentation.
• Troubleshoot complex production issues.

Skills

Backend development

Distributed systems

Leadership

RESTful APIs

Cloud platforms

Team mentoring

Education

Master's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

Job description

Placements24 in Port Elizabeth is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead backend development for enterprise-grade systems. You will design scalable services, supervise a team of engineers, and set technical direction while collaborating with product and frontend teams.

The role requires 10+ years in software engineering, deep distributed systems expertise, and proficiency in Java, Python, or Go, plus cloud experience (AWS/Azure/GCP) and Docker/Kubernetes.