Senior Backend Engineer — Remote, Scalable APIs

Placements24; Mtubatuba Local Municipality; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote position

Competitive salary

Medical benefits

Retirement benefits

Flexible working hours

Continuous learning resources

Globally distributed team

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Backend Developer to join a fully remote team operating across South Africa. You will design, develop, and maintain robust backend systems and APIs powering digital products, mentor junior developers, and collaborate with cross-functional teams in a remote-first environment.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of backend experience, strong knowledge of modern backend languages, and a solid background in databases, RESTful APIs, and microservices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of backend development experience.
• Expertise in at least one modern backend language (Python, Java, Node.js, C#, Go).
• Experience with relational (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and/or NoSQL databases.
• Proficiency in designing RESTful APIs.
• Familiarity with microservices architecture.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.
• Knowledge of Git and CI/CD practices.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills for a remote team.
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement efficient backend code.
• Build and maintain robust APIs to support frontend apps and third-party integrations.
• Manage and optimize database performance and integrity.
• Collaborate with frontend developers, product managers, and designers in an agile, remote setting.
• Write unit and integration tests to ensure code quality and application stability.
• Troubleshoot, debug, and upgrade existing systems.
• Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback to peers.
• Contribute to architectural discussions and technology selection.
• Mentor junior backend developers and promote best practices.
• Ensure the scalability and performance of backend services.

Skills

Backend development

RESTful APIs

Microservices

Relational & NoSQL databases

Cloud platforms

Git & CI/CD

Remote collaboration

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Backend Developer to join a fully remote team operating across South Africa. You will design, develop, and maintain robust backend systems and APIs powering digital products, mentor junior developers, and collaborate with cross-functional teams in a remote-first environment.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of backend experience, strong knowledge of modern backend languages, and a solid background in databases, RESTful APIs, and microservices.