Remote Lead Backend Engineer | Scale & Architect

Placements24; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health insurance

Generous vacation policy

Growth opportunities including courses

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Backend Engineer to join their fully remote South Africa engineering team. You will steer architectural decisions, design scalable services, and mentor a group of backend developers across the globe.

The role requires 7+ years in backend development with hands-on experience in Python, Node.js, Java, or Go, plus strong database design (PostgreSQL/MySQL, MongoDB/Redis) and RESTful APIs. Excellent leadership and communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of backend development, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior role.
• Expertise in one or more backend languages such as Python, Node.js, Java, Go, or Ruby.
• Strong experience with relational and NoSQL databases and RESTful APIs.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and maintenance of scalable backend services and APIs.
• Architect data models and database solutions.
• Mentor backend engineers and enforce coding standards.
• Collaborate with frontend, product, and stakeholders to deliver features.
• Write high-quality, well-tested code and conduct reviews.
• Optimize performance and troubleshoot issues in production.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and technology roadmap.

Skills

Python (Django/Flask)

Node.js

Java (Spring Boot)

Go

Ruby

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PostgreSQL

MySQL

MongoDB

Redis

RESTful APIs

Microservices

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Backend Engineer to join their fully remote South Africa engineering team. You will steer architectural decisions, design scalable services, and mentor a group of backend developers across the globe.

The role requires 7+ years in backend development with hands-on experience in Python, Node.js, Java, or Go, plus strong database design (PostgreSQL/MySQL, MongoDB/Redis) and RESTful APIs. Excellent leadership and communication are essential.