Lead Backend Engineer

Lead Backend EngineerLocation: Remote Mode: Contract to hire Must Have:Amazon CloudWatchAmazon DynamoAmazon RedshiftAWS services (e.g., Lambda, SNS, SQS, S3, Step Functions, IAM, KMS, API Gateway, CloudWatch, DynamoDB)Generative AI applications (e.g., RAG chatbots, model fine-tuning, or other LLM-powered tools)Leadership in the end-to-end design and implementation of user interfaces, from architectural planning and component strategy through to polished execution, including accessibility, performance optimization, and mentoring peers on building intuitive, scalable, and user-centric front-end solutions.Node(with TypeScript)About the Team BigFuture is committed to empowering all students to take the right first step after high school, reaching over 7 million students each year as the leading free resource for college, scholarship, and career exploration. The BigFuture Student team builds and maintains the full breadth of BigFuture student products like BigFuture School a mobile app & bigfuture.org including but not limited to College Search, Scholarship Search, Career Search, dashboards, checklists, and community features so that students can confidently Client, define, and pursue their unique paths. We work in an agile, collaborative environment that values creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving, delivering clean and sustainable solutions that scale to meet the needs of millions while reducing technical debt. Engineers on our team not only code, but also mentor, document, and partner with product and design to shape solutions and influence the direction of our work. We thrive on learning from each other, raising risks early, and finding simplicity in complexity, all while celebrating shared successes and growth. Together, we are mission-driven technologists who take pride in building products that positively transform the educational and career trajectories of students nationwide.About the Opportunity This is a chance to have a direct hand in building the future of BigFuture, the most widely used college and career planning platform for students. As a Lead Engineer on this team, you are a leader, collaborator, and innovator. You Own the technical direction: Define, document, and communicate the architecture and design patterns for the system or product area. You have a strong interest in understanding our stakeholders and leveraging new technologies to support them. You'll work closely with product owners, architects, and designers to translate ideas into solutions, and with fellow engineers to raise the bar on code quality, documentation, and sustainable practices including operational readiness and monitoring. From day one, you'll be encouraged to coach teammates, influence technical decisions, and help simplify complex problems so that students and educators experience fast, reliable, and meaningful tools. Beyond building products, this role offers you the opportunity to elevate engineering practices, explore emerging technologies like AI, and grow into a trusted technical leader whose work impacts millions of students each year. You are not shy about taking on new work you may not have done before while owning all phases of prototyping including requirements definition and analysis, application design, coding, reviewing, testing, deploying, and support. You are eager to lead by example as well as more formally through peer collaboration, coaching and mentoring.In this role you will:Design and Development (60%)Collaborate with product owners, architects, and stakeholders to uphold the highest engineering standards and translate big ideas into impactful, student-facing solutions.Break down new product capabilities into actionable, verifiable technical changes that move quickly from concept to reality.Design and implement solutions to allow rapid testing of innovative concepts using the latest technologies, typically React web appsCreate sharable documentation, both technical and non-technicalExercise discretion in prototyping: investing time to make sure the most important things work well, and working with the team to mock or minimize less important featuresMaintain clean code and strong engineering standards such that when prototypes are greenlit for further development, the project is easy to build uponContinuously develop the skills required to work with this rapidly developing technologyTeam Operations & Success (30%)Participate in, or lead Agile SCRUM ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Grooming, Daily SCRUM, Demo) by contributing to team deliverables and driving alignment, focus, and momentum across sprints.Elevate team performance by giving and receiving thoughtful code reviews, mentoring peers, and helping solve complex technical challenges.Assist in resolving production issues with urgency and precision, ensuring a smooth and reliable user experience.Model discipline in adhering to development standards, security practices, and CI/CD principles while helping the team move fast without compromising quality.Continuously grow your skills and embrace a poly-skilled environment where everyone contributes beyond their specialty.Serve as an organizational Subject Matter Expert on implementing Generative AI applicationsWork with our Enterprise Architecture team to review and/or establish implementation patterns involving Generative AI toolsAdvise on, and where feasible, create tools and infrastructure that will enable teams to safely deploy Generative AI toolsLearning & Sharing (10%)Keep abreast of developments in GenAI capabilities and implementationsShare knowledge of new developments with the team via chats, meetings, and presentations when appropriateServe as an advisor to internal teams developing staff education around Generative AIAbout you, you have:7+ years of professional experience designing, building, testing, and managing scalable web applications in AWS-hosted environments3+ years' experience building back-end applications using Node(with TypeScript)Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redshift, DynamoDB)Experience building observability for your products : Set up CloudWatch, X-Ray, for logging, metrics, and alerts.Hands-on experience implementing Generative AI applications (e.g., RAG chatbots, model fine-tuning, or other LLM-powered tools)Enthusiasm for learning new technologies, especially in the fast-moving GenAI spaceStrong knowledge and hands-on experience with back-end technologies such as Node.jsExperience with asynchronous programming and event-driven messaging patternsStrong knowledge of AWS services (e.g., Lambda, SNS, SQS, S3, Step Functions, IAM, KMS, API Gateway, CloudWatch, DynamoDB)Experience working in Agile/Scrum environmentsProven ability to mentor and coach less experienced teammates in new technologiesStrong analytical thinking, structured problem-solving, and practical decision-making skillsEffective communication and documentation skillsProficiency in reviewing and improving code structure and architecture for testability, maintainability, and scalability, with hands-on experience in JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Node.js, Next.js, APIs, and AWS Serverless technologies (Lambdas, DynamoDB, S3, CloudWatch, etc.).Leadership in the end-to-end design and implementation of user interfaces, from architectural planning and component strategy through to polished execution, including accessibility, performance optimization, and mentoring peers on building intuitive, scalable, and user-centric front-end solutions.Strong problem-solving skills, working collaboratively with team members to identify and resolve issues, and partnering with Product Owners to prioritize backlog.Proven ability to pitch new ideas and implement improved systems and processes, delivering excellent results.Effective communicator and team lead, able to provide actionable feedback, mentor team members, and participate in interviews to evaluate engineering talent.Bachelor's degree in computer science, or related engineering fields preferredEEO: "Mindlance is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of – Minority/Gender/Disability/Religion/LGBTQI/Age/Veterans."