Lead Backend Software Engineer
Engineering – Toronto, ON (Hybrid)
The Role:
Our client is looking for a Lead Backend Software Engineer who combines strong technical chops with solid leadership experience. This is a hybrid position based in downtown Toronto (Yonge-Dundas area), with three in-office days each week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday).If you’re someone who thrives on translating product roadmaps into scalable systems, enjoys mentoring others, and is comfortable owning technical direction, you’ll fit right in. In this role, you’ll lead a team of backend engineers, report directly to the VP of Engineering, and help shape the future of our client’s platform.
The Environment:
The team works in a highly collaborative environment, developing event-driven microservices at scale. Their systems are built to serve millions of users around the globe using a modern tech stack:
- Architecture: Event-driven microservices on Kubernetes (AWS, GCP)
- Languages: Primarily Go (with some Python for ML services)
- Databases: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis
- Messaging & APIs: gRPC, REST, RabbitMQ, Kafka
- DevOps & Infra: Docker, GitHub, Git, Grafana, Gloo
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Lead and mentor a team of backend software engineers
- Work closely with the VP of Engineering to translate product plans into scalable technical solutions
- Drive backend architecture decisions and development, especially in Go
- Own the deployment and operation of microservices in Kubernetes
- Collaborate across engineering, product, and design teams to build, test, and deliver features
- Optimize performance and scalability across services
- Promote automation and best practices in CI/CD and observability
- Champion code quality, technical documentation, and security
What You Bring:
- 5+ years of hands-on software development experience focused on backend systems
- 2+ years in a leadership or mentorship role
- Strong background in microservices and cloud-native development
- Proficiency with Kubernetes and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
- Solid understanding of Docker, Git, CI/CD practices
- Experience in one or more core backend languages (Go, Python, JavaScript, C/C++)
- Knowledge of both SQL and NoSQL databases
- Experience building and integrating with APIs and message brokers (RabbitMQ, Kafka)
Nice to Have:
- Deep Go expertise, especially with gRPC
- Master’s in Computer Science or related field
- Open-source contributions or involvement in cloud-native projects
- Advanced Kubernetes know-how
- Familiarity with frontend frameworks like React or Vue.js
