EMPIRE is a premier and dynamic music company that prides itself on the development and support of independent artists. We are a rapidly growing firm that has been making waves in the music industry, with an extensive portfolio that spans multiple genres and reaches audiences worldwide. We have become the largest independent record label in the U.S., with a significant global presence covering Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and North and South America. We keep ourselves busy with a large range of music-related services from original content and marketing to distribution and recordings. Our commitment to artistic creativity, innovation, and progressive business solutions forms the foundation of our corporate culture. We believe in fostering talent, not just in our artists but also within our professional teams. As we continue to expand, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey. The Role Remix: EMPIRE is looking for a Lead Backend Engineer, Publishing to join our downtown San Francisco office. This senior, hands-on role reports directly to the VP of Engineering. You will own the architecture, development, and scaling of backend systems that power our music publishing management platform. Our system supports publishers, administrators, and rights holders in managing works, rights, royalties, and industry-standard reporting. You’ll partner closely with product managers, frontend engineers, and industry specialists to translate complex publishing data workflows into efficient, automated, and reliable backend solutions. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in PHP (vanilla + Laravel), strong experience designing content and rights management systems, and fluency in music publishing concepts such as work registrations, metadata standards, royalty calculations, and CWR/DDEX flows. If you’ve successfully led backend teams in high-growth or SaaS environments—and you know the publishing ecosystem inside and out—we’d love to hear from you.