About the job
At HackerRank, we empower companies like NVIDIA, Amazon, and Microsoft to discover and develop the skills of the next generation of developers, focusing on capabilities rather than backgrounds. Our platform is trusted by over 2,500 of the world's leading companies to create robust engineering teams prepared for future challenges.
As the landscape of software development evolves, with humans and AI collaborating more closely, the criteria for exceptional technical talent are shifting. We provide innovative solutions for companies to identify and invest in future-ready skills.
Our team is passionate about the impact of our work, paying close attention to every detail to ensure our customers achieve outstanding success with products they genuinely appreciate. We act with urgency and hold ourselves to high standards, believing these lead to great outcomes.
About the Role
Millions of developers utilize HackerRank daily to validate their skills. We are seeking a Senior Backend Software Development Engineer who will guide the technical direction of essential backend systems and spearhead the delivery of impactful, platform-wide initiatives. You will be responsible for the architecture and advancement of core backend services, mentoring engineers across teams, and making key technical decisions to ensure our platform is fast, reliable, and scalable as we expand our global user base.
Your Responsibilities
- Architect, design, and drive the implementation of complex backend systems and services that support core product experiences at scale.
- Define and implement technical strategies for your domain, making pivotal decisions on system design, technology selection, and long-term architectural trajectories.
- Oversee the end-to-end reliability and performance of critical backend services, establishing SLOs and best practices for monitoring and incident response.
- Design scalable API frameworks and data models that serve as the backbone for multiple product teams and external integrations.
- Lead cross-functional technical initiatives across various teams, collaborating with frontend, infrastructure, product, and design stakeholders.
- Identify and drive large-scale refactoring projects, addressing technical debt and transforming legacy systems into modern, maintainable architectures.
- Mentorship of engineers on the team through design and code reviews, offering hands-on technical guidance.
- Contribute to company-wide engineering standards, tools, and processes that enhance code quality and developer productivity.
Your Profile
- Senior backend engineer with 3-6 years of experience building and maintaining production backend systems at scale.
- Proficient in at least one major programming language and familiar with database management, API design, and cloud services.

