Lead Software Engineer, Backend

Adaptx•Seattle, WA

About The Position

AdaptX is seeking a Lead Software Engineer specializing in backend development. The role combines hands-on design and implementation with technical leadership over backend architecture. The engineer will make significant contributions to product success, develop other engineers, shape engineering practices, and influence product and architecture decisions. They will partner with engineering, product, and business stakeholders and help foster a collaborative, high-performing engineering culture in a fast-paced startup environment. The role includes leading the design and implementation of complex backend systems, APIs, and distributed architectures; contributing directly to the codebase; and guiding technical decisions across products and platforms. The engineer will work with cross-functional partners to translate business and customer needs into scalable solutions, advise on roadmaps and prioritization, and promote customer-centric development. They will also mentor engineers, provide day-to-day technical leadership, support hiring and onboarding as needed, and help improve team practices. Software development work includes delivering maintainable, documented, well-tested code; resolving defects and production issues; and documenting systems, designs, decisions, and implementation details.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience designing, implementing, and evolving distributed systems, preferably focused on data storage, analytics, and retrieval.
Demonstrated experience leading technical initiatives and influencing architectural decisions.
Experience mentoring, coaching, or leading engineers; formal people-management experience is preferred.
Strong experience with Python.
Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to influence technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
Curiosity and comfort using data to inform decisions.
Ability to solve complex technical problems through creativity, analysis, and sound judgment.
Proven ability to collaborate effectively across all levels of an organization.
Ability to operate in a dynamic, fast-paced, and sometimes ambiguous environment.
Strong customer orientation, including the ability to anticipate customer needs and identify opportunities.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Java, Kotlin, and/or Go.
Experience with graph database systems and NoSQL platforms.
Experience leading engineering teams in startup or high-growth environments.
Experience managing performance, career development, and team growth.
Success building engineering processes, standards, and practices that scale.
Experience driving organizational adoption of new technologies, frameworks, or architectural approaches.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and implementation of complex backend systems, APIs, and distributed architectures.
Make hands-on technical contributions to develop and enhance AdaptX's codebase.
Establish and promote best practices for system design, code quality, testing, security, scalability, and maintainability.
Drive technical decision-making and architectural direction across products and platforms.
Anticipate technical challenges and develop scalable solutions; research and resolve complex technical issues.
Review code and architectural designs for quality and performance.
Identify, prioritize, and remediate technical debt.
Partner with Product Management, Design, and other stakeholders to define requirements and deliver solutions that support product success.
Coordinate software designs with business requirements, customer needs, and technical constraints.
Advise on roadmap planning, estimation, and prioritization.
Advocate for end-user needs throughout the development lifecycle.
Mentor, coach, and develop engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, feedback, and career development support.
Provide day-to-day technical leadership for engineering initiatives and project teams.
Foster collaboration, accountability, continuous learning, and engineering excellence.
Support hiring, onboarding, and technical interviewing as needed.
Help establish team processes and practices that improve engineering effectiveness and delivery.
Deliver clean, maintainable, well-documented code with comprehensive test coverage.
Identify, troubleshoot, and fix defects and production issues.
Collaborate with team members across functions and disciplines.
Document systems, designs, decisions, and implementation details.