Senior Backend Engineer

NestJS / Node.js / TypeScript

UK | Remote | Immediate Start

Profit Share | Pathway to Competitive Salary | Early-Stage Opportunity

About Us

We are building a technology platform operating within the creator partnerships and influencer marketing industry.

The platform is already in active development and we are now approaching commercial launch, targeted for the end of this month.

We are looking for an experienced Senior Backend Engineer who can join our existing technical team immediately, take ownership of significant areas of the backend and help get the platform launch-ready.

This is not a greenfield concept. There is an existing product, codebase, engineering team and development roadmap already in place.

Due to the early-stage and confidential nature of the platform, further information about the company and product will be provided to shortlisted candidates during the interview process.

The Role

We are specifically looking for a backend specialist, rather than a frontend developer looking to move into backend development.

You should be comfortable joining an existing codebase, understanding the architecture quickly and taking ownership of backend work without requiring every task to be broken down step by step.

This is a hands-on senior engineering role. We need someone who can investigate problems, make informed technical decisions, recommend solutions and take responsibility for delivering high-quality backend functionality.

Our priority is finding someone who genuinely understands the technologies they work with and can design, write, review, debug and explain their own code.

You will work closely with our Technical Lead and wider engineering team as we move towards commercial launch.

Core Technology

Strong professional experience across the following is particularly important:

NestJS
Node.js
TypeScript
PostgreSQL
Prisma ORM
REST APIs
Authentication and authorisation
JWT / OAuth
RBAC and permissions
Database architecture and schema design
Git / GitHub
Docker
CI/CD
Modern cloud environments

Experience with Next.js is beneficial for understanding the wider application, but this position is primarily focused on backend ownership.

What You Will Own

You will take significant ownership of the backend as we prepare for commercial launch, including:

Backend architecture and development
Designing and maintaining NestJS services and modules
PostgreSQL database architecture and schema design
Prisma models, migrations and queries
REST API development and integrations
Authentication and authorisation
Role-based access control and permissions
Backend business logic and workflows
Third-party integrations
Security, validation and error handling
Automated testing and API reliability
Debugging and improving existing backend functionality
Performance optimisation
Production issue investigation
Deployment and release support
Code reviews and engineering standards
Identifying technical risks and recommending solutions
Supporting the wider engineering team ahead of releases

You should be capable of taking a requirement, understanding the business problem, proposing an appropriate technical solution and taking it through implementation, testing and production.

Essential Experience

Please only apply if you have strong professional backend engineering experience.

You should be able to demonstrate:

Strong commercial NestJS and Node.js experience
Advanced TypeScript knowledge
Strong PostgreSQL experience
Experience with Prisma or comparable modern ORM technologies
Experience designing database schemas and relationships
Building and maintaining production REST APIs
Authentication, authorisation and RBAC implementation
Experience working with existing production codebases
Strong debugging and root-cause analysis skills
Understanding of secure backend development
Automated testing experience
Git / GitHub workflows and code review
Docker and CI/CD experience
Understanding of scalable modern application architecture
Ability to work independently and take ownership
Strong technical communication
Experience shipping and supporting real-world production systems

Experience with SaaS products, marketplace platforms, payment integrations, high-growth technology businesses or early-stage startups would be highly desirable.

Engineering Ownership

This is particularly important to us.

We are looking for someone who can genuinely take ownership of backend engineering, not simply complete isolated tickets.

You should be comfortable:

Investigating unfamiliar code independently
Understanding an existing architecture quickly
Making and explaining technical decisions
Challenging requirements constructively where appropriate
Identifying technical risks before they become problems
Debugging complex issues
Taking responsibility for your work through to production
Communicating blockers early and clearly
Working collaboratively without requiring constant supervision

The successful candidate should be able to reduce pressure on the wider engineering team by taking genuine responsibility for their area of the product.

AI-Assisted Development

We are comfortable with engineers using tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude or other AI development toolsto improve productivity.

However, AI should be an accelerator, not a substitute for engineering knowledge.

We need someone who understands the code they ship and can independently:

Explain their architecture and technical decisions
Write and modify code without depending on generated solutions
Identify when generated code is incorrect, inefficient or insecure
Debug complex issues
Review code critically
Understand performance and security implications
Take accountability for production code

If your development process primarily involves generating code with AI without being able to independently understand, validate and troubleshoot it, this role will not be suitable.

Who This Role Is Not For

This role will not suit someone who:

Primarily specialises in frontend development
Has little or no professional NestJS/backend experience
Requires detailed instructions for every task
Cannot independently investigate technical problems
Has limited experience designing databases or APIs
Has little experience shipping real-world applications
Is uncomfortable working with an existing codebase
Relies heavily on AI-generated code without understanding the underlying implementation
Is uncomfortable taking ownership
Is uncomfortable working within an early-stage environment
Cannot start within a relatively short timeframe
Is looking exclusively for an immediately salaried position

We want someone who enjoys building, solving difficult problems and taking ownership.

Immediate Priority

We are targeting commercial launch by the end of the month and are therefore looking for someone who can start immediately or very soon.

Your initial priority will be to understand the existing architecture, work through launch-critical backend requirements and help the technical team get the platform into a stable, secure and commercially ready position.

The commercial side of the business is already progressing alongside product development, making this an important engineering hire ahead of launch.

Compensation

We want to be completely transparent about the compensation structure before candidates enter the interview process.

As an early-stage business, the position will initially operate on a profit-share basis rather than a fixed salary.

As the business reaches agreed commercial and revenue milestones, the intention is for the position to transition into a competitive salaried or contractor arrangement.

This is not intended to remain a profit-share-only position permanently.

High performance, long-term commitment and increased responsibility may also create opportunities for additional incentives as the company grows.

Our intention is to build a long-term relationship with the right engineer.

Why Join Us?

You will have the opportunity to:

Join a technology business immediately before commercial launch
Work on a real platform already in active development
Take genuine ownership of backend engineering
Have meaningful influence over technical architecture
Work alongside an existing technical team
Solve real SaaS and marketplace engineering challenges
See the direct impact of your work
Help build the engineering foundations for future scale
Progress towards a competitive salaried long-term position
Take on greater responsibility as the engineering function expands

For someone who wants more than simply maintaining an established corporate product, this is an opportunity to join at an important stage and have a meaningful impact on how the technology develops.

To Apply

Please send:

Your CV
GitHub profile, if available
Examples of production applications or platforms you have worked on
A brief explanation of what you personally built or owned
Details of your professional experience with NestJS, Node.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL and Prisma
An example of a backend system or architecture you have personally designed or significantly contributed to
Your current availability and earliest possible start date

Shortlisted candidates will complete a short technical screening before meeting our Technical Lead.

Work Location: Remote

UK-based candidates preferred

Start Date: Immediate / ASAP

Benefits

Work from home
Flexible remote environment
Company events
Early-stage progression opportunities

Pay: £34,647.44-£109,051.14 per year

Benefits:

Company events
Work from home

Work Location: Remote

Job description