Backend Team Lead

Overview

Are you a Backend Team Lead who thrives on building high‑performance services, leading engineers, and owning the core APIs that power a fast‑scaling digital product ecosystem?

Smart State is a rapidly growing technology company, bringing together expertise in software engineering, analytics, and product management to deliver reliable and innovative digital solutions. Smart State is a place where talents from different niches can make real changes across the industry. We create an environment to let smart ideas act boldly.

Work Mode:
Full-time, office-based (Remote or hybrid work arrangements are not available)

As a Backend Team Lead, you will be a key contributor and leader within our platform engineering organization. You will own the design, implementation, and optimization of high‑performance Node.js APIs and microservices that power our global, fast‑scaling product ecosystem. This role blends hands‑on backend engineering with technical leadership, giving you the opportunity to guide a team of developers, influence architecture, and ensure performance, reliability, and scalability for thousands of players worldwide.

• Lead and mentor a team of backend engineers, providing technical guidance, code reviews, and support for their growth and performance.
• Develop, maintain, and scale robust backend services built with Node.js (Nest.js framework).
• Design and implement third‑party API integrations and new platform modules from concept through deployment.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well‑tested code following TDD principles.
• Work with SQL and No
  
  SQL databases (Mongo
  
  DB, MySQL, Redis) to support high‑volume data operations.
• Implement REST, Graph
  
  QL, and Web Socket communication protocols across services.
• Collaborate closely with frontend, Dev Ops, and product teams to deliver reliable and efficient solutions.
• Apply best practices for microservice architecture, scalability, and performance optimization.
• Participate in and lead code reviews, architecture discussions, and continuous integration initiatives.
• Contribute to improving engineering processes, standards, and documentation within the backend team.

• 5+ years of professional experience in web development.
• 3+ years of hands‑on experience with Node.js (ideally with the Nest.js framework).
• Practical experience with high‑volume databases (SQL and No
  
  SQL), including Mongo
  
  DB, MySQL, and Redis.
• Proficiency with Git and collaborative development workflows.
• Experience with message brokers (such as Rabbit
  
  MQ or Redis Pub/Sub).
• Solid understanding of TDD and experience writing automated unit and integration tests.
• Strong fundamentals in microservices architecture and distributed systems.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership, mentoring developers, or acting as a go‑to technical expert within a team.

• 2+ years of experience with CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and microservices deployment.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes or other container orchestration systems.
• Experience with the NATS messaging system.
• Hands‑on experience with Type Script and advanced Node.js tooling.
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401K plan, and more.
• Generous PTO policy.
• A dynamic and collaborative international work environment.
• Breakfasts and lunches in the office (partially paid by the company).
• Birthdays, milestones and employee anniversaries celebrations.
• Opportunities for professional development and growth.

Smart State Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that different perspectives make us stronger and provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants regardless of race, color identity, religion, or any other protected status. If you have the drive and the skills, we want to hear from you.