Remote Lead Backend Engineer - Scalable Systems

Placements24; Sandton; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top-tier salary with bonus potential

Fully remote

Health/dental/vision insurance

Learning budget

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a highly experienced Lead Backend Engineer to spearhead our client's backend development in a fully remote setting. You will design, architect, and oversee scalable distributed systems and microservices, guiding a team of engineers to deliver high-performance APIs.

You will mentor engineers, shape technical strategy, review code, and collaborate with product management to align roadmaps with business goals, while ensuring security and reliability across platforms.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in backend software development, with 2+ years in a lead/senior role.
• Experience designing large-scale distributed systems and microservices.
• Proficiency in Go, Python, or Java and related frameworks.
• Deep understanding of SQL/NoSQL databases, caching, and cloud architectures (AWS, GCP, Azure).

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and implementation of scalable backend services and APIs.
• Architect robust, maintainable systems and guide technology choices and patterns.
• Mentor backend engineers, enforce best practices, and drive code quality through reviews and pairing.
• Collaborate with product, frontend, and other stakeholders to deliver on technical roadmaps.
• Ensure performance, security, and reliability via testing and monitoring.

Skills

Backend architecture

Distributed systems

Team leadership

Go

Python

Java

Cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure)

Education

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

Tools

Microservices frameworks

Code reviews

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a highly experienced and motivated Lead Backend Engineer to spearhead their backend development efforts within a fully remote setting. This leadership role involves designing, architecting, and overseeing the development of highly scalable, reliable, and performant backend systems. You will guide a team of talented engineers, mentor junior developers, and drive technical strategy to ensure our client's platform can support massive growth. This is an exceptional opportunity for a senior engineer who excels at problem-solving, enjoys technical leadership, and thrives in a remote-first culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of scalable backend services and APIs.


• Architect robust and maintainable systems, making key technical decisions regarding technologies and patterns.


• Mentor and guide a team of backend engineers, fostering best practices and high code quality through code reviews and pair programming.


• Collaborate with product management, frontend teams, and other stakeholders to define and deliver on technical roadmaps.


• Ensure the performance, security, and reliability of backend systems through rigorous testing and monitoring.

Requirements

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related quantitative field.


• 7+ years of professional experience in backend software development , with at least 2 years in a lead or senior technical role.


• Proven expertise in designing and building large-scale distributed systems and microservices.


• Strong proficiency in languages such as Go , Python , or Java , and experience with relevant frameworks.


• Deep understanding of database technologies (SQL/NoSQL), caching strategies, and cloud-native architectures (AWS, GCP, Azure).

Benefits

• A top-tier salary package with significant bonus potential.


• Fully remote work opportunity, offering maximum flexibility and autonomy.


• Premium health, dental, and vision insurance plans.


• Generous budget for continuous learning, conferences, and professional development.


• Opportunity to shape the technical direction of a rapidly growing company.