Software Engineer

OfferZen; Randburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

OfferZen in South Africa seeks a Senior Backend Engineer with an architecture mindset to design scalable, observable, and maintainable systems powering our growing platform. You will lead technical decisions, build robust RESTful APIs with Node.js and TypeScript, optimize PostgreSQL databases, implement migrations, and foster excellent testing and code quality across the team.

A collaborative, mentoring culture awaits, with opportunities to shape architecture, drive performance improvements, and

Qualifications

• 4+ years of production experience with Node.js and TypeScript.
• Strong PostgreSQL knowledge including performance optimization and scaling patterns.
• Experience designing RESTful APIs with authentication and rate limiting.
• Experience with database migrations and zero-downtime deployment strategies.
• Familiarity with test-driven development and testable code architecture.
• Experience with monitoring, logging, tracing, and alerting systems.
• Ability to mentor junior/mid-level developers and participate in code reviews.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable backend systems and APIs using Node.js and TypeScript.
• Drive architectural decisions for database design, scaling patterns, and system integration.
• Contribute to database optimization efforts, including performance tuning and indexing.
• Design and implement comprehensive database migration strategies.
• Establish patterns for observability, monitoring, and reliability.
• Build robust, testable APIs and backend services with maintainable code.
• Mentor junior and mid-level developers through code reviews and pairing.

Skills

Node.js

TypeScript

PostgreSQL

RESTful APIs

Testing (Jest/Mocha)

CI/CD

GCP

Kubernetes

Observability

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor of Computer Science

Matric (High School Diploma)

Tools

Kubernetes

Google Cloud Platform

Job description

We're seeking a skilled Senior Backend Engineer with a strong architecture mindset to join our dynamic, collaborative development team. This role combines hands-on technical excellence with architectural thinking, focusing on building scalable, observable, and maintainable systems that power our growing platform. You'll be working in a supportive environment where knowledge sharing, cross-team collaboration, and mentoring are core to our culture. We're looking for someone who thrives in a team of self-motivated developers who learn from each other and grow together.

What you’ll do:

Technical Leadership & Architecture:

• Design and implement scalable backend systems and APIs using Node.js and TypeScript
• Drive architectural decisions for database design, scaling patterns, and system integration
• Contribute to database optimization efforts, including query performance, indexing strategies, and scaling solutions
• Design and implement comprehensive database migration strategies
• Establish patterns for system observability, monitoring, and reliability
• Build robust, testable APIs and backend services with focus on maintainability
• Implement comprehensive testing strategies including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests
• Drive code quality initiatives and establish best practices across the team
• Optimize application performance and implement effective caching strategies
• Ensure system stability through proactive monitoring and alerting
• Mentor junior and mid-level developers through code reviews and pair programming
• Collaborate effectively across teams to deliver integrated solutions
• Share knowledge through technical discussions, documentation, and internal presentations
• Contribute to technical decision-making and architectural planning

What you’ll bring with you

Core Technologies

• Node.js & TypeScript: 4+ years of production experience
• PostgreSQL: Advanced knowledge including performance optimization, complex queries, and scaling patterns
• API Development: RESTful APIs, authentication, and rate limiting
• Database Migrations: Experience with migration tools and zero-downtime deployment strategies

Testing & Quality

• Comprehensive testing experience (Jest, Mocha, or similar frameworks)
• Test-driven development practices and testable code architecture
• Experience with mocking and testing database interactions
• Performance testing and load testing methodologies

Database Expertise

• Advanced PostgreSQL administration and optimization
• Database scaling patterns (read replicas, sharding, connection pooling)
• Query optimization and performance tuning
• Experience with database monitoring and maintenance

Infrastructure & DevOps (optional)

• Google Cloud Platform: Hands-on experience with GCP services
• Kubernetes: Container orchestration, deployments, and service management
• Monitoring & Observability: Logging, metrics, tracing, and alerting systems
• CI/CD: Build pipelines, automated testing, and deployment strategies
• Monorepos: Experience in mono repos and methods of code splitting and modularisation.

Nice to have

• Experience with microservices architecture and distributed systems
• Knowledge of caching solutions (Redis, Memcached)
• Familiarity with message queues and event-driven architecture
• Previous mentoring or technical leadership experience

Qualifications

• Completed Matric or equivalent Secondary education with distinctions
• Completed a Bachelor of Computer Science or equivalent Degree with distinctions