Senior Backend Engineer - Microservices & APIs

Placements24; Sandton; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to join a remote-first engineering team focused on building robust microservices and APIs for critical applications.

You will architect solutions, drive best practices, and mentor other engineers while delivering high-quality, scalable backend systems in a distributed environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years in professional backend software development.
• Strong knowledge of RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Experience with relational and non-relational databases, caching, and queues.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and containerization is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy scalable microservices and APIs.
• Write clean, well-documented, thoroughly tested code.
• Optimize performance, queries, and system architecture for scalability.
• Collaborate with frontend, product, and QA to implement features.
• Participate in code reviews and drive engineering best practices.
• Troubleshoot complex issues in production and development environments.

Skills

Backend development

RESTful APIs

Microservices

Cloud platforms

Databases

Docker/Kubernetes

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Backend Engineer to join their innovative, fully remote engineering team. This role is focused on designing, building, and maintaining robust, scalable, and performant microservices and APIs that power critical applications. You will play a key part in architecting solutions, driving best practices, and mentoring other engineers. The ideal candidate possesses a deep understanding of distributed systems, data modeling, and modern backend development frameworks, coupled with a passion for creating high-quality, maintainable code. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to a cutting-edge technology stack within a collaborative and forward-thinking organization that embraces a remote-first culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy scalable, high-performance microservices and APIs using modern backend technologies.
• Write clean, efficient, well-documented, and thoroughly tested code.
• Optimize application performance, database queries, and system architecture for scalability and reliability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (frontend, product, QA) to define and implement new features.
• Participate in code reviews, architectural discussions, and drive best practices within the engineering team.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues in production and development environments.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional backend software development experience.
• Strong proficiency in at least one modern backend language such as Java, Python, Go, or C#.
• Extensive experience designing and building RESTful APIs and microservices architectures.
• Solid understanding of relational and non-relational databases, caching mechanisms, and message queues.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) is a plus.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonus opportunities.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Full remote work flexibility, fostering a strong work-life balance.
• Generous budget for professional development, training, and conferences.
• A collaborative and supportive team environment focused on innovation and growth.