Senior Backend Engineer

Kforce has a client in Plano, TX that is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer who will help ensure high performance, reliability, and scalability, and contribute to the architecture and direction of our systems. This role will report directly to the Head of Engineering. This is a hybrid position, based in Dallas. Duties/Day to Day Overview:

• Design, architect, and implement robust APIs and services using Node.js, PostgreSQL, and Redis
• Optimize complex SQL queries and schemas to ensure lightning-fast performance across large datasets
• Leverage AI coding tools (Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, etc.) as a core part of your development workflow, and contribute to integrating AI/LLM-powered features into our platform
• Tackle high-scale engineering challenges to ensure reliability and efficiency under heavy traffic
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and leadership teams on backend features
• Proactively identify and resolve technical debt; Lead refactoring projects to future-proof our stack
• Participate in team standups, code reviews, and deployment processes
• Mentor and support other engineers, helping to elevate team-wide technical excellence
• Take ownership of projects and drive initiatives from concept to production
• 8+ years of backend software engineering experience
• Strong experience with Node.js and PostgreSQL (or equivalent relational databases)
• Strong SQL skills - able to write, debug, and optimize complex queries on large datasets
• Demonstrated AI fluency - actively uses AI tools in day-to-day engineering work
• Experience working on high-volume, consumer-facing platforms
• Solid understanding of backend architecture, distributed systems, and scalability principles
• Experience with DevOps practices and cloud infrastructure (preferably Google Cloud or AWS), including CI/CD, monitoring, and infrastructure as code
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a self-driven, ownership mentality
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills