Job Description

Staff & Principal Software Engineers (Backend)

About the Role

We are looking for experienced Staff & Principal Software Engineers to drive the technical architecture and development of complex, business-critical software systems.

This is a senior hands-on engineering role (individual contributor) suited to someone who can operate at both strategic and technical levels, taking ownership of architecture, implementation and engineering excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Design, develop and maintain scalable, highly available and reliable backend systems on AWS.
Drive technical architecture and long-term engineering strategy for complex distributed systems.
Lead technical projects end-to-end, from requirements gathering and solution design through development, testing, deployment and production support.
Remain hands-on in coding, reviewing and improving production systems.
Drive improvements in system performance, scalability, reliability and operational efficiency.
Establish engineering best practices through architecture reviews, code reviews and technical guidance.
Identify opportunities to simplify processes, automate workflows and improve development efficiency.
Leverage AI-assisted development tools (day-to-day) throughout the software development lifecycle to improve productivity and code quality.
Work closely with cross-functional stakeholders to translate business requirements into effective technical solutions.

Requirements

At least 10+ to 15+ years of professional software engineering experience.
Proven experience defining architecture and technical strategy for large-scale, complex software platforms.
Strong hands-on backend engineering experience, with the ability to balance strategic leadership and implementation.
Deep understanding of distributed systems, cloud-native architecture and AWS.
Experience with containerisation, messaging systems, caching, databases, search technologies, observability and system reliability.
Hands-on experience with technologies such as Kubernetes/ECS, MySQL, MongoDB, Kafka, Redis and Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, or equivalent.
Proficiency in at least one of the following programming languages: Java, Go, Python, JavaScript or TypeScript. Node.js experience is an advantage.
Practical experience using AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code, Cursor or GitHub Copilot.
Strong problem-solving skills, technical judgement and ability to work independently.
Experience working with geographically distributed engineering teams is preferred.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related discipline. Master's degree is advantageous.

What We Offer

Opportunity to influence technical architecture and engineering direction.
Ownership of complex, high-impact engineering initiatives.
Exposure to challenging technical problems and modern technologies.
An environment that values technical excellence, accountability, pragmatic decision-making and continuous improvement.
For more information you can contact Norean Tan at [Confidential Information]
We regret to inform you that only shortlisted candidates will be notified / contacted.
EA Registration No.: R1434118 - Tan Lee Ying, Norean
iKas International (Asia) Pte Ltd
ROC No.: 200914065E | EA License No.: 16S8086