Software Technical Lead

Job Title: Technical Lead – Backend/API Engineering

Employment Type: Direct Hire, Full Time

Location: Provo, UT - Hybrid (2 days onsite)

Our client is looking for leads the backend/API engineering function for a growing technology organization undergoing modernization and platform transformation. You will guide the architecture, development standards, and technical vision while remaining hands‑on with backend engineering work. Success in this role means driving high‑quality API delivery, enabling AI‑powered development productivity, and ensuring scalable, cloud‑ready solutions that support long‑term growth.

• Lead, mentor, and support a distributed backend engineering team, including nearshore resources.
• Architect, build, and modernize backend services and APIs using PHP/Laravel and cloud‑native patterns.
• Drive adoption of AI‑assisted development tools to improve delivery speed, code quality, and engineering efficiency.
• Oversee technical direction, engineering best practices, code reviews, and documentation standards.
• Collaborate closely with product and Dev Ops to align priorities, define KPIs, and support predictable delivery.
• Diagnose and resolve complex system issues across distributed environments, ensuring reliability and scalability.
• Contribute to roadmap planning, technical specifications, and iterative delivery schedules.
• Support on‑call rotations for critical systems and participate in production troubleshooting when needed.

• 7+ years of professional backend engineering experience, preferably in an Agile environment.
• 3+ years in a senior or technical leadership capacity guiding engineering teams.
• Strong hands‑on expertise with PHP and Laravel.
• Experience working with AI development tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor, Git Hub Copilot) to accelerate productivity.
• Proficiency with AWS services (EC2, S3, EKS, SQS, etc.) and cloud‑based application operations.
• Experience designing and maintaining RESTful APIs and scalable backend architectures.
• Strong database background with MS SQL Server and Postgre
  
  SQL, including large data sets and performance optimization.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, Docker, Kubernetes, and modern Dev Ops workflows.
• Ability to navigate complex problems, shifting priorities, and aggressive timelines.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills within collaborative, fast‑paced engineering teams.

• Experience migrating legacy systems into modern frameworks (e.g., PHP to Laravel).
• Background working with nearshore/offshore teams.
• Knowledge of Node.js, Python, or Go.
• Experience with asynchronous or event‑driven systems and queueing frameworks.
• Familiarity with Graph
  
  QL, OAuth/JWT, or microservices patterns.
• Experience with large‑scale database partitioning or sharding.
• Exposure to e‑commerce, subscription systems, or payment integrations.
• Working knowledge of modern frontend frameworks (React, Next.js) is a plus.