Backend Software Engineer

About the Role: Backend Software Engineer at Hire Overseas

We are seeking a highly capable Backend Software Engineer to lay the technical groundwork for a global, digital-first higher education institution. This innovative organization empowers professors and academic groups to launch accredited degree programs through a distributed model, combining regulatory compliance with purpose-built technology infrastructure. This allows scholars to operate under a recognized university framework without relying on traditional campus systems.

This role is central to our infrastructure, involving the design and construction of robust APIs, backend services, and a resilient system architecture. These components will power academic operations, compliance workflows, and institutional tooling. The work is inherently complex, structured, and deeply technical, requiring a clear thinker who can write clean systems and operate autonomously within a fast-moving environment.

You must be comfortable working US time zone hours and collaborating effectively across distributed teams.

Why You'll Want to Join Hire Overseas

• You will be compensated in USD (bi-monthly: every 15th and 30th).
• Enjoy up to 14 days of Paid Time Off annually, available from Day 1.
• Observance of Holidays per company guidelines.
• Benefit from a 100% remote setup, allowing you to work from your most productive environment.
• Opportunity to build critical infrastructure supporting accredited higher education globally.
• Direct collaboration with product and leadership in a high-ownership environment.
• Exposure to regulatory-aware, mission-critical system design.

What You'll Work On

Core Backend Architecture

• Design and build scalable backend systems that drive academic and operational workflows.
• Develop clean, well-documented APIs for both internal and external integrations.
• Architect services capable of handling compliance-sensitive data with precision and reliability.
• Ensure the integrity, performance, and long-term maintainability of systems.

API Development and Integrations

• Build and maintain RESTful or GraphQL APIs, ensuring clear versioning and comprehensive documentation.
• Integrate with various third-party services, identity providers, and compliance systems.
• Design robust authentication, authorization, and role-based access controls.
• Maintain high standards for API security and reliability.

Data and Infrastructure

• Design efficient data models that align with complex academic and regulatory structures.
• Optimize database performance and query efficiency.
• Contribute significantly to infrastructure decisions regarding deployment, monitoring, and scaling.
• Support CI and CD workflows to ensure stable and continuous releases.

Engineering Ownership

• Translate intricate product requirements into structured technical solutions.
• Write clear and concise technical documentation for internal use.
• Actively participate in architectural discussions and long-term technical planning.
• Identify technical debt proactively and propose pragmatic improvements.

What You Bring

• 4 to 8+ years of backend engineering experience in production environments.
• Strong experience in designing and building APIs using modern backend frameworks.
• Proven track record of working on technically complex systems with real-world constraints.
• Profound understanding of system architecture, database design, and scalability principles.
• Experience thriving in startup or high-growth technology environments.
• Clear, structured thinking and exceptional problem-solving abilities.
• Comfort with working US time zone hours in a fully remote setup.

Nice to Have

• Experience in edtech, fintech, healthtech, or other regulated industries.
• Familiarity with compliance-driven systems or accreditation frameworks.
• Experience designing multi-tenant platforms.
• Exposure to cloud infrastructure such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers or contributing to technical standards.

Key skills/competency

• Backend Engineering
• API Design
• System Architecture
• Database Design
• Scalability
• Compliance Systems
• RESTful APIs
• GraphQL
• Cloud Infrastructure
• Technical Documentation