Freelance/Contract - Technical Lead

## About Heady

Heady is a digital product consultancy that provides full-service strategy, design, full-stack development, and growth marketing services for retail and lifestyle brands — and we do it all with heart.

Our team partners with Fortune 500 brands to deliver impactful technology and design solutions. We seek a Senior Technical Lead to oversee the backend infrastructure supporting a suite of high-visibility mobile applications for one of our biggest clients - a leading U.S. retailer.

## About the role

As a Lead Engineer, you will provide end-to-end technical direction for backend services powering a multi-app mobile ecosystem. You’ll collaborate with both engineers, Product Managers, clients, and vendors. You will guide architectural decisions and ensure the secure, scalable, and maintainable delivery of mobile backend solutions.

## Key Responsibilities

####
#### Technical Leadership & Execution

• Define and document backend technical requirements for mobile features.
• Lead architectural decisions and implementation for Consumer-facing and Store associate-facing apps
• Ensure high-quality, performant, and maintainable code through technical oversight and hands-on development.
• Maintain and evolve technical documentation to reflect current systems and processes.
• Strategize and address backend security concerns, including real-time mitigation of malicious activity and compliance with data deletion protocols.

#### Client & Vendor Collaboration

• Serve as a key technical liaison for client and vendor teams (e.g., website platform, payment providers).
• Provide responses to non-emergency technical issues during ET business hours (9am–3pm).
• Lead emergency support during designated off-hours (weekday evenings and weekends).
• Represent engineering in cross-functional calls.

####
#### Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Provide project leadership and operational oversight for backend developers in collaboration with product managers.
• Set and enforce backend coding standards, review code, and maintain the CI/CD pipeline.
• Mentor engineers, foster a collaborative culture, and drive continuous improvement across the engineering team.

#### Security & Compliance

• Enforce secure coding and architectural best practices across backend systems.
• Oversee client-driven data deletion workflows and protect against vulnerabilities.

#### Required Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science with minimum 6 years in backend engineering roles, (incl. 2+ years in technical leadership.)
• Proven experience with mobile backend systems and API development.
• Deep knowledge of:
• AWS
• Nodejs
• Salesforce OCAPI/API
• Third-party integrations for mobile
• CMS-backed content systems
• Demonstrated experience with backend deployment processes and CI/CD management.
• Exceptional ability to analyze and resolve technical issues with scalable solutions.
• Strong client-facing communication and cross-functional team collaboration skills.
• Experience working in Agile product teams.
• Strong business proficiency in English and adept at delivering both confidence and humility in communication.
• Exposure to high-scale consumer-facing mobile apps.
• Familiarity with e-commerce security standards and architecture patterns.
• Availability across US Eastern Time business hours and emergency support windows.