Remote Backend Lead & Systems Architect

Placements24; Vereeniging; Hybrid; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Placements24 in South Africa seeks a Lead Backend Engineer to architect, develop, and maintain scalable server-side systems in a remote-first environment. You will lead a team of backend engineers, design robust APIs and microservices, mentor colleagues, and ensure security, quality, and performance across deployments.

If you excel in building high-performance systems and enjoy guiding talent from conception to production, join our distributed team and influence shaping critical applications.

Qualifications

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 7+ years of professional backend development experience with at least 2 years in a technical leadership role.
• Expertise in one or more backend languages such as Java, Python, Node.js, Go, or C#.
• Proven experience designing and building microservices architectures.
• Strong understanding of database technologies (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis) and data modeling.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Proficiency in RESTful API design.
• Solid understanding of security best practices in web development.
• Experience with Agile and CI/CD pipelines.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor technical teams remotely.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of scalable backend systems.
• Architect robust APIs and microservices powering applications.
• Mentor and guide a team of backend engineers.
• Oversee backend development lifecycle, ensuring quality, security, and performance.
• Collaborate with frontend, product managers, and stakeholders to define requirements and deliver solutions.
• Optimize applications for speed, scalability, and reliability.
• Implement and manage database solutions (SQL/NoSQL).
• Drive best practices in coding, testing, and deployment.
• Conduct code reviews and provide constructive feedback.
• Stay updated with emerging backend technologies and propose innovations.

Skills

Leadership

Backend development

API design

Cloud architecture

CI/CD

Remote leadership

Education

Master's or Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

PostgreSQL

MySQL

MongoDB

Redis

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Placements24 in South Africa seeks a Lead Backend Engineer to architect, develop, and maintain scalable server-side systems in a remote-first environment. You will lead a team of backend engineers, design robust APIs and microservices, mentor colleagues, and ensure security, quality, and performance across deployments.

If you excel in building high-performance systems and enjoy guiding talent from conception to production, join our distributed team and influence shaping critical applications.