Backend Architect

Onsite – Denver preferred – Backend Architect – Remote can be negotiated if the candidate is worth on not giving up on him/her.JOB SUMMARYWe're seeking an experienced hands-on Backend Technical Architect to lead architecture design, technical delivery, and system optimization across our platform. This is a hands-on role requiring deep technical expertise, leadership capabilities, and end-to-end ownership of critical systems.MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESArchitecture & DesignDesign and evolve system architecture for scalability, reliability, and performanceCreate and maintain architectural documentation and technical specificationsEvaluate and recommend technology stack improvementsConduct architecture reviews and provide technical guidance to development teamsTechnical LeadershipBreak down complex initiatives into actionable tasks with clear acceptance criteriaProvide accurate Level of Effort (LOE) estimates for projects and featuresMentor and guide junior developers through code reviews and pair programmingOwn end-to-end delivery of critical features and systemsEstablish engineering best practices and coding standardsProblem Solving & OptimizationTroubleshoot and resolve critical production issuesAnalyze system bottlenecks and implement performance improvementsConduct capacity planning and scaling analysisDrive continuous improvement initiatives across the technology stackPlatform & Infrastructure OptimizationDynamoDB : Query optimization, indexing strategies, capacity planning, cost optimizationKafka : Consumer/producer tuning, partition strategies, throughput optimization, monitoringCircuit Breakers : Implement resilience patterns, fault tolerance, and graceful degradationTypeScript : Code quality improvements, type safety enhancements, refactoring legacy codePerformance : Latency reduction, caching strategies, load testing, profilingREQUIRED QUALIFICATIONSTechnical Expertise8+ years of software engineering experience with 3+ years in architecture rolesExpert-level proficiency in TypeScript/Node.jsDeep understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and event-driven designProduction experience with AWS services (DynamoDB, Lambda, ECS, API Gateway, etc.)Strong knowledge of Kafka or similar event streaming platformsExperience implementing resilience patterns (circuit breakers, retries, bulkheads, timeouts)Proficiency in performance profiling, optimization, and scaling strategiesLeadership & DeliveryProven track record of owning and delivering complex technical projectsExperience mentoring developers and conducting technical interviewsStrong analytical and problem-solving skillsExcellent written and verbal communication skillsAbility to balance technical excellence with business prioritiesNice to HaveKnowledge of observability tools (DataDog, Splunk, New Relic, CloudWatch, Grafana)Background in SRE practices and DevOps methodologiesExperience with GraphQL, REST API design, and API gateway patternsFamiliarity with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automationExperience with infrastructure as code (Terraform, CDK, CloudFormation)Deliverables & Success MetricsArchitectural designs and technical specificationsTask breakdowns with accurate LOE estimatesPerformance improvement implementations with measurable resultsReduced system latency and improved throughputMentorship of junior team members with demonstrable skill growthSuccessful delivery of assigned projects within timeline and scopeEducationBA/BS in Information Technology, Computer Science, related field or equivalent combination of education and experienceWORKING CONDITIONSOffice environment