Lead Software Engineer, Backend

Description

AdaptX is seeking a Lead Software Engineer specializing in backend development. In this role, you will drive the technical direction of our backend architecture while remaining deeply hands-on in design and implementation. You will play a critical role in the success of our products through significant engineering contributions, technical leadership, and the development of other engineers.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical expertise with a passion for mentoring others, shaping engineering best practices, and influencing product and architecture decisions. You will serve as a trusted partner to engineering, product, and business stakeholders while helping cultivate a high-performing, collaborative engineering culture. This individual thrives in a fast-paced startup environment, advocates for customers, thinks critically and creatively, and confidently shares perspectives in both formal and informal settings.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Lead the design and implementation of complex backend systems, APIs, and distributed architectures.
• Develop and enhance AdaptX's codebase through hands-on technical contributions.
• Establish and promote engineering best practices for system design, code quality, testing, security, scalability, and maintainability.
• Drive technical decision-making and architectural direction across products and platforms.
• Anticipate technical challenges and proactively develop scalable solutions.
• Resolve complex technical issues through research, creativity, and sound engineering judgment.
• Review code and architectural designs to ensure high standards of quality and performance.
• Identify, prioritize, and remediate technical debt.

Product & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with Product Management, Design, and other stakeholders to define requirements and deliver solutions that materially impact product success.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to ensure software designs align with business requirements, customer needs, and technical constraints.
• Serve as a technical advisor during roadmap planning, estimation, and prioritization discussions.
• Champion customer-centric development practices and advocate for end-user needs throughout the development lifecycle.

Team Leadership & Coaching

• Mentor, coach, and develop engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, constructive feedback, and career development support.
• Provide day-to-day technical leadership for engineering initiatives and project teams.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous learning, and engineering excellence.
• Support hiring efforts, onboarding, and technical interviewing as needed.
• Help establish team processes and operating practices that improve engineering effectiveness and delivery.

Software Development Responsibilities

• Deliver clean, maintainable, well-documented code with comprehensive test coverage.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and fix defects and production issues.
• Collaborate effectively with team members across functions and disciplines.
• Document systems, designs, decisions, and implementation details appropriately.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience designing, implementing, and evolving distributed systems, preferably focused on data storage, analytics, and retrieval.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical initiatives and influencing architectural decisions.
• Prior experience mentoring, coaching, or leading engineers, with formal people management experience preferred.
• Strong experience with Python; experience with Java, Kotlin, and/or Go is a plus.
• Experience with graph database systems and NoSQL platforms is a significant advantage.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Naturally curious and comfortable using data to inform decision-making.
• Strong ability to solve complex technical problems through creativity, analysis, and sound judgment.
• Proven experience collaborating effectively across all levels of an organization.
• Ability to operate successfully in a dynamic, fast-paced, and sometimes ambiguous environment.
• Strong customer orientation, with the ability to anticipate customer needs and identify new opportunities.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading engineering teams in startup or high-growth environments.
• Experience managing performance, career development, and team growth.
• Demonstrated success building engineering processes, standards, and practices that scale.
• Experience driving organizational adoption of new technologies, frameworks, or architectural approaches.

Equal Opportunity

AdaptX is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family, medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. AdaptX does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. AdaptX provides reasonable accommodation to all applicants to apply for positions and to all employees to perform essential functions of their roles.

AdaptX offers a comprehensive, industry-competitive benefits package, which includes medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as flexible paid time off. The salary range for the role is $145,000 and $165,000 depending on experience.