Senior Backend Engineer (SaaS Platform) - A309

AI overview

Design and scale backend systems for a customer-facing SaaS platform, enhancing system performance and collaborating cross-functionally to deliver impactful features.

Industry

SaaS / Software Engineering

Work Arrangement

Remote

Job Type

Full-time

Work Schedule

9 AM – 5 PM ET (flexible for remote candidates)

Locations:

Remote (Work from anywhere)

About Pearl Talent

Pearl works with the top 1% of candidates from around the world and connects them with the best startups in the US and EU. Our clients have raised over $5B in aggregate and are backed by companies like OpenAI, a16z, and Founders Fund. They’re looking for the sharpest, hungriest candidates who they can consistently promote and work with over many years. Candidates we’ve hired have been flown out to the US and EU to work with their clients, and even promoted to roles that match folks onshore in the US.

Hear why we exist, what we believe in, and who we’re building for: WATCH HERE

Why Work with Us?

At Pearl, we’re not just another recruiting firm—we connect you with exceptional opportunities to work alongside visionary US and EU founders. Our focus is on placing you in roles where you can grow, be challenged, and build long-term, meaningful careers.

About the Company

Our client is a fast-growing SaaS startup providing event management software to organizations worldwide. The platform enables teams to promote events, manage registrations, and create mobile applications without technical expertise. The company emphasizes building scalable, high-quality systems and fosters a collaborative, product-focused culture.

Role Overview

The Senior Backend Engineer will design, build, and scale backend systems for a customer-facing SaaS platform. You will focus on Python-based services, Django REST APIs, and PostgreSQL data models that power both internal functionality and third-party integrations. This role works cross-functionally with product managers, designers, and front-end engineers to deliver high-quality features end-to-end. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments, makes pragmatic tradeoffs, and takes ownership of long-term system health while shipping impactful features.

Your Impact

  • Drive the development and scalability of backend systems powering thousands of live events globally.
  • Improve system performance, reliability, and maintainability through proactive architecture and code quality initiatives.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver customer-facing features efficiently and safely.
  • Influence the technical roadmap and implement best practices for API design, database modeling, and service integration.
  • Contribute to team knowledge and mentorship through code reviews and shared engineering standards.

Core Responsibilities

Backend Architecture & Feature Ownership – 40%

  • Own backend execution for customer-facing features from design through production release.
  • Translate product requirements into secure, maintainable backend solutions.
  • Design clean data models and RESTful APIs.
  • Support third-party integrations and internal service communication.

System Evolution & Technical Strategy – 25%

  • Evaluate legacy systems and propose incremental improvements.
  • Contribute to long-term backend architecture roadmaps.
  • Balance technical debt reduction with feature velocity.
  • Establish and uphold backend standards for API design, performance, and maintainability.

Performance, Reliability & Observability – 20%

  • Optimize PostgreSQL schemas, indexes, and queries for performance.
  • Profile APIs and resolve bottlenecks.
  • Diagnose production issues using logs, metrics, and tracing tools.
  • Improve system reliability and scalability.

Collaboration & Leadership – 15%

  • Partner with a predominantly front-end team to identify risks and constraints.
  • Participate in planning, estimation, and technical design discussions.
  • Mentor engineers and share knowledge through code reviews.

Requirements

Must-Haves (Required)

  • 5+ years professional backend engineering experience.
  • Strong proficiency in Python for production-grade services.
  • Deep experience with Django, including REST API development and ORM usage.
  • Advanced PostgreSQL knowledge (schema design, migrations, indexing, query optimization).
  • Experience designing and maintaining RESTful APIs.
  • Solid understanding of backend fundamentals (request lifecycles, concurrency, caching, error handling).
  • Experience debugging production systems using logs and observability tools.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice-to-Haves (Preferred)

  • SaaS product development experience.
  • Supporting third-party integrations.
  • Familiarity with SAML SSO, OpenAPI/Swagger, or similar standards.
  • Experience with Jira or similar agile tooling.
  • Experience with observability and monitoring tools (e.g., Datadog).
  • Familiarity leveraging AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) for development productivity.
  • Experience with distributed systems supporting web and mobile applications.

Tools Proficiency

Must-Haves (Required)

  • Python, Django, PostgreSQL, RESTful APIs, Git, Slack, Zoom

Nice-to-Haves (Preferred)

  • Datadog, Jira, Swagger/OpenAPI, AI coding tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini)

Benefits

  • Competitive Salary: Based on experience and skills
  • Remote Work: Fully remote—work from anywhere
  • Performance Bonus: Based on data accuracy, reporting timeliness, and overall sales efficiency
  • Team Incentives: Recognition for maintaining 100% CRM hygiene and on-time reporting
  • Generous PTO: In accordance with company policy
  • Health Coverage for PH-based talents: HMO coverage after 3 months for full-time employees
  • Direct Mentorship: Guidance from international industry experts
  • Learning & Development: Ongoing access to resources for professional growth
  • Global Networking: Connect with professionals worldwide

Our Recruitment Process

  1. Application
  2. Screening
  3. Skills Assessment
  4. Top-grading Interview
  5. Client Interview
  6. Job Offer
  7. Client Onboarding

Ready to Join Us?

If this role aligns with your skills and goals, apply now to take the next step in your journey with Pearl.

Perks & Benefits Extracted with AI

  • Health Insurance: Health Coverage for PH-based talents: HMO coverage after 3 months for full-time employees
  • Learning Budget: Ongoing access to resources for professional growth
  • Paid Time Off: Generous PTO: In accordance with company policy
  • Remote-Friendly: Fully remote—work from anywhere

Pearl Talent is a US-based start-up that helps the top 1% of talent worldwide land long-term roles at fast-growing companies in the US and EU. Founded by Monty Ngan and Isaac Kassab, Pearl Talent helps operators all around the Philippines, Latin America, and South Africa get staffed into companies backed by Y Combinator, Sequoia, a16z, General Catalyst, and more.We believe that even though opportunity isn’t created equal in the world, ambitious talent is.

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