Senior Backend Engineer (Technical Lead) — Remote

Thirdguard; Remote; ZAR 1 340 000 - 2 011 000; Full time

Job summary

A tech startup specializing in DeFi is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer who will act as a technical lead, responsible for backend architecture and developer mentorship. This role involves hands-on contributions to system building and collaboration with the CTO. Candidates should have a strong software architecture background and experience in TypeScript, with an interest in crypto and DeFi. Join a small team shaping the future of risk management in the digital asset market while enjoying the flexibility of remote work.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend development experience building production systems.
• Strong grounding in software architecture and distributed systems.
• Expertise with TypeScript / Node or similar backend environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of the backend architecture.
• Build backend services in TypeScript and contribute hands-on.
• Mentor and support an intermediate backend engineer.

Skills

Backend development experience

Software architecture

API design

TypeScript / Node expertise

Cloud environments familiarity

Interest in crypto / Web3 / DeFi

Tools

AWS

Rust

Job description

Senior Backend Engineer (Technical Lead) — Remote

ThirdGuard is a London-based startup building technology to analyse and manage risk across digital asset markets.

We're developing infrastructure and intelligence systems that power the next generation of DeFi risk management.

We're looking for a Senior Backend Engineer who can also act as a technical lead— owning backend architecture, guiding existing developers, and collaborating closely with the CTO while remaining hands-on.

This is a high-impact role for someone who enjoys building systems end-to-end and wants to shape a growing engineering team.

What You'll Do

• Lead the design and evolution of our backend architecture in partnership with the CTO.
• Build backend services in our TypeScript-based stack and contribute hands-on to core features.
• Oversee code quality: PR review, development workflow, and safe merges to main.
• Mentor and support an intermediate backend engineer to accelerate team output.
• Work with DevOps (already in place) to ensure reliable, secure, well-operated systems.
• Contribute occasionally to Rust components (nice-to-have today, more relevant later).
• Leverage modern AI-driven tooling to improve development speed and reliability.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of backend development experience building production systems.
• Strong grounding in software architecture, distributed systems, and API design.
• Expertise with TypeScript / Node or similar backend environments.
• Experience guiding developers, reviewing code, or owning technical workflows.
• Familiarity with cloud environments (AWS preferred), even if DevOps isn't your primary role.
• Interest in crypto / Web3 / DeFi — you don’t need to be deep in the weeds, but genuine curiosity matters.
• Experience with Rust, C, or C++ is a plus (not required day-one).

Bonus Skills

• Understanding of blockchain infrastructure, smart-contract interactions, or on-chain data indexing.
• Exposure to EVM tooling, Rust-based ecosystems, or risk / analytics systems.
• Comfort using AI-enhanced engineering workflows.

Why Join

You’ll be part of a small, focused team building real infrastructure at the frontier of DeFi risk management.

You’ll work directly with the founders, make architectural decisions that matter, and influence the direction of an emerging platform in a fast-moving industry.

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Contract

Job function

Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

IT Services and IT Consulting