Lead Backend Specialist

Lead Backend Specialist

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. WFP is the world's largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change. Around 20,000 people work for the organization, most of them in remote areas, directly serving the hungry poor.

To reach a world with zero hunger, WFP is investing in and growing private sector fundraising and partnerships. Serving as a broker between WFP and the private sector, WFP's Private Partnerships and Fundraising Division (PSP) strives to mobilize funding, technical assistance, innovative solutions and visibility and awareness to help WFP fulfil its mission, while offering companies and the wider public the opportunity to contribute to a world with zero hunger.

Share The Meal  is WFP's fundraising and awareness-raising app. Free to download, the award-winning app is a pioneering way for people to join our efforts in creating a world with zero hunger. Share The Meal  was launched in 2015 as the first pilot of WFP's Innovation Accelerator, which among other things supports start-ups and innovators in developing their ideas for zero hunger.

Share The Meal  currently has more than 1.9 million users worldwide, who have shared more than 290 million meals (US $ 200 million). WFP is pursuing an ambitious growth strategy for individual giving, and Share The Meal  is a key driver for this strategy going forward. The team, located in Berlin and remotely, is focused on increasing the funds raised to help get to zero hunger by further developing the app to include new and innovative features, increasing the engagement of existing users and growing the user base through marketing and communication initiatives.

As the technical leader for Share The Meal 's backend engineering function, define and execute the technology strategy that enables the organization to scale from 1.9M to 10M+ users while maintaining exceptional user experience and operational efficiency impacting an annual revenue of $30 million USD.

The Consultant, reporting to Head of Software Engineering is expected to:

• Lead Technical Strategy for Backend
• Build and lead a high-performing backend engineering organization capable of rapid, high-quality delivery
• Drive engineering quality and technical sustainability
• Research, plan and facilitate the improvement of product quality, security, and performance.
• Document architecture/code decisions and APIs

- Deliver Product features and Tech Initiatives across Backend, Admin and Infra platforms.

- Documentation and handover to Head of Software Engineering

Education:

University degree in computer science or related field.

Work history:
At least 5 years of experience in developing Backend solutions designed to serve millions of active mobile app users.

Strong analytical abilities, both quantitative and qualitative. Ability to make technical decisions that balance platform-specific needs with cross-platform efficiency. Excellent problem-solving skills with ability to debug complex mobile issues. Ability to interact with managers and stakeholders with maturity and tact. Mature judgment with strong interpersonal skills. Collaborative spirit able to work effectively across diverse teams and cultures. Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.

Adaptability to rapidly evolving mobile technology landscape. Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the World Food Programme.

Proficiency in node.js and modern Backend development patterns. Strong knowledge of Type Script. Experience with Observability best practices. Experience with architecture patterns (Clean Architecture, Domain Driven Design). Knowledge of Unit Testing, End-to-End, and Test-Driven Development. Expert understanding app performance optimization techniques. Experience with CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes. Familiarity with analytics, crash reporting, and monitoring tools. Experience with agile development processes and cross-functional team collaboration.

Language(s):
Excellent command of spoken and written English. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language would be a plus (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish).