As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you’ll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do every day.
About the Role
At Harman International, we are revolutionizing music metadata management and discovery. We’re seeking a Principal Backend Engineer to lead the development of scalable, high-performance backend systems powering our music discovery platform. As a Backend Engineer on our Data Team, you will be at the forefront of building scalable, cutting-edge solutions that power our world-class music metadata services. We are seeking experienced developers passionate about working with data and backend technologies to drive our continued growth and solidify our position as a global leader in music data.
In this role, you’ll architect and build APIs that enable seamless music search, recommendation, personalization, and user interaction. Your work will ensure users can seamlessly discover the music they love by driving backend services that deliver high-quality, accurate data to our product teams reliably. You will collaborate closely with your colleagues in the Data Team and the broader Harman Software Experiences organization, contributing to developing and deploying data-driven features that enhance the user experience.
What you will Do:
Architect and develop robust, scalable, and secure APIs for music catalog, recommendation, and search.
Design data models and manage integrations with third-party music metadata providers, streaming services, and analytics platforms.
Lead backend engineering efforts, setting coding standards, reviewing code, and mentoring junior engineers.
Collaborate with product, frontend, and data teams to define API contracts and deliver seamless user experiences.
Optimize performance of backend services, ensuring low latency and high availability.
Implement observability tools for monitoring, logging, and alerting to ensure system reliability.
Drive technical innovation, evaluating new technologies and frameworks to improve development velocity and system capabilities.
What you need to Be Successful:
10+ years of backend services development
Technical Skills: Strong understanding of modern backend development tools.
Strong proficiency in Node.js, Python, or Go or similar backend languages.
Deep understanding of API design, microservices architecture, and cloud-native development
Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with GCP, AWS, and Azure
Deployment Technologies: Expertise with Docker, Kubernetes, and Serverless architectures.
CI/CD: Proficient with automated pipelines for continuous build and integration systems.
Experience with databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, BigQuery), caching strategies, and message queues (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ).
Familiarity with music metadata standards, recommendation systems, or audio streaming APIs is a plus.
Bonus Points if You Have:
Experience with machine learning pipelines or recommendation engines (strongly desired)
Experience working with machine learning workloads in production
Experience working with audio music streaming services
Knowledge of music theory, audio fingerprinting, or digital signal processing.
Familiarity with C# and .NET based technologies.
Contributions to open-source projects or technical blogs.
A passion for delivering top-notch audio experiences to users and an interest in the audio technology domain
What Makes You Eligible:
Position is 100% Remote
You must be available for meetings and team interaction during typical continental US business hours.
Be willing to travel up to 5%, domestically and internationally.
Successfully complete a background investigation and drug screen as a condition of employment
What We Offer
Competitive wellness benefits and 401K Retirement Savings plan.
An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages career development opportunities.
Flexible work schedule with a culture encouraging work-life integration and collaboration in a global environment.
Professional development opportunities through HARMAN University’s business and leadership academies and extensive course catalog.
Tuition Reimbursement.
Access to employee discounts on world-class HARMAN products (JBL, Harman/Kardon, etc.).
“Be Brilliant” employee recognition and rewards program.
#LI - Remote
#LI-NW1
Salary Ranges:
HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of backend services development experience
- Strong proficiency in Node.js, Python, Go, or similar backend languages
- Deep understanding of API design, microservices architecture, and cloud-native development
- Hands-on experience with GCP, AWS, and Azure
- Expertise with Docker, Kubernetes, and serverless architectures
- Proficiency with automated CI/CD pipelines for continuous build and integration
- Experience with databases such as PostgreSQL or BigQuery, caching strategies, and message queues such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
- Availability for meetings and team interaction during typical continental US business hours
- Willingness to travel up to 5%, domestically and internationally
- Successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen
- Familiarity with music metadata standards, recommendation systems, or audio streaming APIs
- Experience with machine learning pipelines or recommendation engines
- Experience working with machine learning workloads in production
- Experience working with audio music streaming services
- Knowledge of music theory, audio fingerprinting, or digital signal processing
- Familiarity with C# and .NET technologies
- Contributions to open-source projects or technical blogs
- Passion for audio experiences and interest in audio technology
Harman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Harman and has not been reviewed or approved by Harman.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, often including medical, dental, and vision plans, with HSAs/FSAs and disability or life insurance also referenced. Wellbeing support such as EAP access and onsite occupational health services is also part of the package in some regions.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Lifestyle-oriented benefits include employee product discounts and region-specific perks like free fruit deliveries, Cycle to Work schemes, and meal coupons or allowances. Flexible schedules and work-from-home options are also part of the overall offering where roles and projects allow.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is repeatedly characterized as solid or market-aligned for many roles, with salary payments described as consistent and on time. Compensation is also tied to performance in some accounts, reinforcing a perception of basic fairness for a portion of employees.
Harman Insights
What We Do
Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. HARMAN is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. HARMAN offers a great work environment, challenging career opportunities, professional training and competitive compensation. Looking for a challenge where your experience is valued? Come see what you can achieve as a leader with HARMAN!
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