Lead Backend Engineer (Node.js)

Zeal is addressing the critical challenge of untapped transactional data. At the moment, whenever a transaction is processed on a POS terminal (payment card machine), physical retailers have no idea who the paying customer is, unless they use a loyalty program. Think of when you go to a supermarket and you pay by card, unless you go to a supermarket that has a loyalty program and you get your loyalty card out, the POS terminal doesn't tell the retailer if you're a new or returning customer, demographics, gender, etc. Unlike e-ecommerce, in physical retail customer identification always had to be a separate step because the payment terminal is not built to self-identify the paying customer. Hence, a plethora of valuable data is lost or underutilized. With Zeal’s advanced Smart POS plugin, the company integrates with POS terminals globally to provide payment acquirers and ISVs with a unique differentiator for their POS terminals. The merchants of our partners benefit from world-class data, analytics & tools to predict consumer behavior using Artificial Intelligence, enabling merchants to unlock the full potential of transactional data.

We’re looking for a Backend Lead to own the architecture, scalability, and technical roadmap for one of our squads within our backend ecosystem. This role focuses on technical leadership and deep hands-on expertise, you’ll architect solutions, drive code quality, and optimize system performance, while collaborating with other leads to ensure consistency and high standards across all backend services.

You’ll work side-by-side with engineers, product managers, and DevOps, leading technical initiatives and driving innovation within your domain, while aligning with the broader engineering strategy.

• Lead the design and architecture of scalable, high-performance backend services using NodeJS with NestJS.
• Build and optimize complex backend systems that are reliable, maintainable, and secure.
• Collaborate with other Leads to ensure technical consistency across projects.
• Set coding standards, enforce best practices, and guide engineers in building efficient systems.
• Write, review, and optimize high-quality code.
• Lead performance tuning efforts, database optimizations, and API enhancements.
• Ensure backend systems meet security, compliance, and scalability requirements.
• Work closely with product managers to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Collaborate with other Backend Leads, DevOps, and Frontend teams for cross-functional alignment.
• Mentor mid-level and junior engineers, driving technical growth within the team.
• Lead initiatives to improve performance, reliability, and scalability of backend services.
• Implement caching strategies (Redis), message brokers (RabbitMQ, Kafka), and microservices best practices.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and propose architectural improvements when needed.

• 7+ years of backend development experience with strong expertise in NodeJS and NestJS.
• Proven experience designing and scaling distributed systems in high-transaction environments.
• Experience in fintech or highly regulated industries is a plus.
• Strong experience with MySQL (optimization, indexing, large-scale data).
• Strong knowledge of microservices architecture and API design principles.
• Hands-on experience with Redis, RabbitMQ, and Kafka.
• Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes for containerization and orchestration.
• Understanding of security best practices and compliance standards in backend development.
• Proficiency in CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions or similar tools.
• Strong command of English for effective cross-team communication.
• Strong leadership and problem-solving skills with a focus on scalability and performance.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities, especially in remote or distributed teams.
• Ability to balance business goals with technical feasibility.

• Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services.
• Knowledge of event-driven architecture.
• Exposure to GraphQL or modern API frameworks.
• Familiarity with Elasticsearch or other search technologies.
• Knowledge of PHP Laravel.
• Experience handling high-volume payment transactions securely.
• Understanding of fintech business logic such as fraud detection and compliance.

• 💻 Work from Anywhere: Enjoy the flexibility of remote work or join us in a hybrid setup. Your choice, your comfort.
• 💰 Competitive Compensation: We value your talent and offer packages that reflect it.
• 🤝 Collaborative Culture: Join a team where trust, transparency, and continuous learning are at the heart of everything we do.
• 💡 Make an Impact: Have ideas to make things better? Awesome. We’re all ears and ready to innovate.
• 🚀 Shape the Future of Fintech: Work on cutting-edge fintech solutions that impact thousands of users.