Principal Backend Engineer

Principal Backend Engineer at Yahoo

Yahoo serves as a trusted guide for hundreds of millions of people globally, helping them achieve their goals online through our portfolio of iconic products. For advertisers, Yahoo Advertising offers omnichannel solutions and powerful data to engage with our brands and deliver results.

About Yahoo

Yahoo is a global media and tech company that connects people to their passions. We reach hundreds of millions of people around the world, bringing them closer to what they love – from finance and sports, to shopping, gaming and news – with the trusted products, content and tech that fuel their day. For partners, we provide a full-stack platform for businesses to amplify growth and drive more meaningful connections across advertising, search and media.

About Search at Yahoo

Yahoo Search is one of the most highly scaled applications on the planet. We hire world class engineers to support our ambitious product and platform goals. Our engineers work in a highly collaborative environment with a strong emphasis on technical excellence and innovation. This is a unique opportunity as we’re reimagining the future of Search, to reinvent how users find information and accomplish their goals. To achieve this vision, we’re integrating new technology and expanding our infrastructure. This role demands strategic partnership, analytical thinking, exceptional planning and execution skills, ambitious innovation, obsession with quality and user needs, and a passion for solving complex problems. If you’re someone who enjoys being part of high performing teams, this role is for you!

About You

As a Principal Backend Software Engineer specialized in Node.js and AWS, you will play a critical role in delivering innovation and growth for the Search business by taking charge of the technical direction and execution of our full stack applications. You will be responsible for technical oversight of a team of engineers, performing code reviews to ensure code quality, performance, and security. Your technical expertise, leadership skills, and strategic vision will drive the success of our fullstack projects and contribute to the overall growth of the company. You are passionate about software development and building highly scalable distributed solutions that enable delightful user experiences and measurable business growth. You will work closely with the product and design teams to plan, experiment and release features in collaboration with other engineering partners and business stakeholders. If you are interested in joining a world-class team of passionate people and industry veterans who care about code quality, architecture, design and user experience as much as having fun together, then we’d like to talk to you.

Responsibilities

• Lead and own delivery of full stack applications within a cross-functional product squad, ensuring alignment with business goals, security standards, and regulatory requirements
• Define and implement scalable, robust, and maintainable application architecture and system design
• Collaborate closely with product managers, UX/UI designers, engineers, and other stakeholders to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions
• Conduct code reviews and provide technical guidance to development teams to ensure adherence to architectural principles, coding standards, and best practices
• Evaluate third-party tools, frameworks, and APIs for integration into applications, considering factors such as security, performance, and scalability
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in application development processes, tooling, and automation to enhance efficiency, quality, and time-to-market
• Act as a technical mentor and coach to engineers, fostering a culture of learning, innovation, and excellence within the development team
• Communicate complex technical concepts and technical decisions effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior management and external partners
• Lead the design and implementation of large-scale digital transformation initiatives, with a focus on cloud migration, modernization, and scalability.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of hands-on, professional software development experience specializing NodeJS, C++ and Python
• 5+ years of industry experience working with large-scale distributed systems
• Strong experience with GraphQL, REST, HTTP, and the ability to design and implement maintainable APIs
• Strong experience with fullstack JavaScript development with NodeJS, Express, Nest, Fastify, etc.
• Experience with cloud services, infrastructure, and serverless on common platforms such as AWS, GCP, Azure, etc
• Database experience with PostgreSQL or similar database technologies
• Frontend experience in React, Vue, or similar JavaScript framework
• Experience with big data technologies
• Experience in performance optimization, scalability planning, and troubleshooting of applications to ensure optimal user experience and reliability
• Ability to mentor and coach development teams, providing technical guidance, code reviews, and training sessions on application architecture best practices
• Deep understanding and commitment to software engineering principles and processes and continuous improvement through measurement
• Strong organizational skills, the ability to prioritize tasks and to deliver projects on schedule
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven history of being able to work and collaborate effectively with non-technical team members and stakeholders in a remote environment
• BS in Computer Science, or equivalent degree/experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with mobile and frontend web development
• Experience with SCRUM or similar agile development methodology

Key skills/competency

• Node.js Development
• AWS Cloud Services
• Distributed Systems
• System Architecture
• API Design (GraphQL, REST)
• PostgreSQL
• Performance Optimization
• Scalability
• Technical Leadership
• Code Review