Head of Backend

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Head of Backend based in Canada.

This is a hands-on engineering leadership opportunity within a fast-growing productivity SaaS <environment.You> will lead the evolution and scaling of a backend function while remaining deeply involved in production engineering.The role focuses on consolidating microservices, improving performance, reliability, security, and enabling continued product <growth.You> will design robust APIs, build integrations, and create internal tooling that improves both developer and operational efficiency.Working within a small, highly capable team, you will have significant ownership and direct influence over technical and product decisions.The position combines architectural leadership, hands-on development, engineering standards, and occasional customer-facing <troubleshooting.It> is an on-site role in Canada for an experienced engineer who thrives in high-ownership, fast-moving environments.

Accountabilities

• Lead the evolution, consolidation, and scaling of a microservices-based backend architecture for a high-growth SaaS product.
• Remain hands-on in production engineering, contributing directly to backend design, implementation, testing, and deployment.
• Improve backend performance, reliability, scalability, and security, identifying and addressing technical risks proactively.
• Design, develop, and maintain robust REST APIs for internal and external consumers, including appropriate authentication mechanisms.
• Build and maintain integrations with third-party services and external APIs.
• Develop internal tools and automation that improve engineering productivity and operational workflows.
• Define and continuously improve software development lifecycle processes, engineering standards, and backend best practices.
• Partner with product stakeholders to propose innovative backend capabilities and technical solutions aligned with business and customer needs.
• Scale infrastructure and strengthen monitoring, logging, and operational visibility across backend services.
• Help investigate, reproduce, and resolve customer-reported issues when needed, maintaining a strong focus on API-level user experience.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship within a small engineering team while fostering a collaborative, ownership-driven culture.

Requirements

• 11+ years of professional backend development experience, with exceptional candidates having a minimum of 6 years considered.
• Strong hands-on proficiency with Go and Node.js; familiarity with PHP is an advantage.
• Proven experience designing, building, and consuming REST APIs, including authentication with OAuth2.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems and microservices architecture.
• Strong knowledge of PostgreSQL or other relational databases, as well as caching systems.
• Hands-on experience with Unix-based systems, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Professional experience with cloud platforms such as GCP, AWS, or equivalent.
• Experience scaling infrastructure and implementing effective monitoring, logging, and observability solutions.
• Strong foundations in algorithms, data structures, software design, and engineering principles.
• Proficiency with Git and modern software development workflows.
• Strong written and spoken English communication skills.
• Experience with third-party and external API integrations is a plus.
• Background in backend security hardening and security-conscious engineering is desirable.
• Experience developing internal tools for engineering or developer productivity is an advantage.
• Collaborative, detail-oriented, proactive, and adaptable approach to problem-solving.
• Strong ownership mindset and ability to operate effectively in a small, fast-moving team.
• Must be legally authorized to work in Canada; visa sponsorship is not available.

Benefits

• USD $80,000–$120,000 annual salary, depending on experience.
• Opportunity to shape backend architecture during a significant growth-stage phase of the product.
• High level of ownership and autonomy over technical decisions.
• Direct impact on product direction, backend scalability, and engineering practices.
• Small, highly capable engineering team with close collaboration and strong technical ownership.
• Hands-on leadership role combining architecture, technical strategy, and production development.
• On-site work in Canada.
• Opportunity to work on a growing SaaS product with significant scope for backend innovation.