Principal Backend Engineer; Hybrid

As the fastest-growing distributor of restaurant equipment, HVAC and residential appliance parts, we like to do things a little differently. First, you need to understand and demonstrate our Core Values with safety being your first priority. That’s key. But we’re also looking for unique enthusiasm, high integrity, courage to embrace change…and if you know a few jokes, that puts you on the top of our list!

Do you have a genius-level knowledge of original equipment manufacturer parts? If not, no problem! We’re more interested in passionate people with fresh ideas from different backgrounds. That’s what keeps us at the top of our game. We’re proud that our workplace has been recognized for its growth and innovation on the Inc. 5000 list 15 years in a row and the Crain’s Fast 50 list ten times.

We are honored to be voted by our Chicagoland team as a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace for the last four years.

If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves, go above and beyond and put your ambition to work, all while having some fun, let’s chat – Apply Today!

• Team member appreciation events and recognition programs
• Volunteer opportunities
• Monthly IT stipend
• Casual dress code
• On-demand pay options:
  Access your pay as you earn it, to cover unexpected or even everyday expenses
• All the traditional benefits like health insurance, 401k/401k match, employee assistance programs and time away – don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

The Job at a Glance

As a Principal Backend Engineer, you will design, architect, and optimize scalable microservices that power our eCommerce and enterprise platforms. You’ll drive backend architecture and ensure seamless integration across systems like commerce, CMS, ERP, PIM, and marketing. Championing best practices in modularization, API design, and event-driven architectures, you’ll leverage Node.js, Type Script, Docker, Kubernetes, and serverless technologies to create secure, high-performance services.

You’ll own backend engineering policies, CI/CD pipelines, and testing automation to ensure reliable deployments. As a technical leader, you'll define logging, observability, and disaster recovery strategies, ensuring high availability. Collaboration with frontend, Dev Ops, and data teams will be key to optimizing system performance. Mentoring engineers and contributing to architectural decisions will be central to your role. This position is ideal for someone with extensive experience in backend design and distributed systems.

A Typical Day

• Backend Architecture:
  Design scalable, cloud-native microservices and ensure seamless interoperability between platforms (eCommerce, CMS, ERP, PIM, marketing)
• Implementation & Best Practices:
  Leverage Node.js, Type Script, Docker, Kubernetes, and serverless technologies to build high-performance services. Advocate for modularization, API-first, event-driven architectures, and domain-driven design
• Engineering Standards:
  Establish CI/CD practices, automated testing, and backend tooling standards. Drive adoption of best practices for service-to-service communication (REST, Graph
  
  QL, gRPC)
• Operational Practices:
  Lead disaster recovery strategies, define observability and logging best practices, and drive automated testing strategies
• Cross-functional Collaboration:
  
  Work with frontend, Dev Ops, and data teams to optimize APIs, caching, and databases.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with other Principal Engineers to ensure engineering excellence

To Land This Opportunity

• You have strong written and verbal communication skills in English
• You have 10+ years of experience in backend system design, eCommerce, and distributed applications
• You’re an expert in Node.js, Type Script, and cloud-native platforms (Azure preferred)
• You’re passionate and knowledgeable of databases (Postgre
  
  SQL, Mongo
  
  DB, Redis), microservices, event-driven architectures (Kafka, NATS), and API standards (REST, Graph
  
  QL)
• You possess experience with unit, integration, and contract testing (Jest, Mocha, Pact) and CI/CD (Terraform, Pulumi)
• You are familiar with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), serverless computing, Kubernetes, and containerization
• You have proven ability to mentor engineers and collaborate across teams.

About…