Lead Software Engineer (Microservices)

Placements24; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 1,976,000 - 2,964,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Remote-first culture

Professional development budget

Performance bonuses

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a highly experienced Lead Software Engineer to drive our microservices strategy in a fully remote role. You will design, build, and scale distributed systems, mentoring engineers, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver robust APIs and scalable platforms.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in backend development, deep distributed systems know-how, and hands-on experience with Java, Go, Python, or Node.js, plus cloud and container technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with backend and distributed systems focus.
• Proven experience designing, building, and deploying microservices architectures.
• Proficiency in Java, Go, Python, or Node.js.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems concepts, patterns, and challenges.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containers (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with API Gateway patterns and protocols (gRPC, REST).
• Knowledge of message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ) and event-driven architectures.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Strong CI/CD understanding and tools.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and leading technical initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of scalable microservices.
• Architect and implement robust APIs for service integration.
• Promote best practices in microservices, including domain-driven design and event-driven architectures.
• Mentor engineers and ensure code quality.
• Collaborate with product managers to define technical requirements and roadmaps.
• Ensure reliability, scalability, and security of distributed systems.
• Oversee CI/CD pipelines for microservices and efficient deployments.
• Troubleshoot production issues and optimize performance.
• Evaluate technologies and toolsets for microservices development.
• Conduct code reviews and raise craftsmanship standards.
• Foster continuous improvement and innovation within the team.
• Contribute to overarching technical strategy and architectural vision.

Skills

Distributed systems

Backend architecture

Leadership

Communication

Cloud-native

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science or related

Tools

Java

Go

Python

Node.js

AWS

Azure

GCP

Docker

Kubernetes

Kafka

RabbitMQ

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a leading SaaS provider known for its innovative solutions, is seeking a highly experienced Lead Software Engineer to spearhead their microservices development initiatives. This is a fully remote position, allowing you to contribute from anywhere while collaborating with a world-class engineering team. You will be instrumental in designing, developing, and scaling our next-generation microservices architecture, ensuring performance, reliability, and maintainability. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in distributed systems, a passion for clean code, and proven leadership capabilities. This role offers the chance to make a significant impact on our core products and mentor talented engineers in a dynamic, remote-first environment. The focus is on building robust, scalable systems from the ground up, leveraging modern cloud-native technologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of scalable, resilient, and high-performance microservices.
• Architect and implement robust APIs that facilitate seamless integration between services.
• Drive the adoption of best practices in microservices development, including domain-driven design and event-driven architectures.
• Mentor and guide a team of software engineers, fostering technical growth and code quality.
• Collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to define technical requirements and roadmaps.
• Ensure the reliability, scalability, and security of distributed systems.
• Oversee the CI/CD pipeline for microservices, enabling efficient deployment and testing.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues in production environments.
• Evaluate and select appropriate technologies and tools for microservices development.
• Conduct code reviews and promote high standards of software craftsmanship.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the engineering team.
• Contribute to the overall technical strategy and architectural vision.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong focus on backend and distributed systems.
• Proven experience designing, building, and deploying microservices architectures.
• Proficiency in one or more backend languages such as Java, Go, Python, or Node.js.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems concepts, patterns, and challenges.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with API Gateway patterns and communication protocols (e.g., gRPC, REST).
• Knowledge of message queuing systems (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ) and event-driven architectures.
• Experience with database technologies (SQL and NoSQL).
• Strong understanding of CI/CD principles and tools.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and leading technical initiatives.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and potential for performance bonuses.
• Fully remote work setup with flexibility.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous professional development budget for training, conferences, and certifications.
• Opportunity to work on challenging and impactful microservices projects.
• Collaborative and innovative remote engineering culture.
• Paid time off and company holidays.