Backend Engineer

Job Role: Backend Engineer

Job Type: Contract

Location: Sydney

Job Description

• Hands-on development to deliver key sprint tasks. Architect reliable, performant, automated, and cost-efficient solutions.
• Proactively scope and implement improvements to the Performance, Cost, Quality, and Security of the stack ($\approx.$ 20%).
• Mentor junior/offshore developers on architecture, code quality, and performance ($\approx.$ 15%).
• Collaborate with Tech Director/SEM to drive effective processes, governance, and delivery approaches.
• Ensure key agile processes, coding conventions, documentation, and test coverage standards are followed.
• Estimate, provide solutions, and run Proof of Concepts (POCs) to de-risk complex items.
• Partner with Product Managers/Owners on product lifecycle strategy, design, and measurement, providing input on technical feasibility and risk.
• Liaise with External Tech Vendors for platform and development capabilities.
• Work closely with the Marketplace (dealer contracts/customer service) and Content Teams (consumer content/lead generation).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or a related field.
• 6+ years of full-stack development experience, specifically with PHP, WordPress, and Laravel.
• Proven experience developing REST/GraphQL APIs and stand-alone applications using frameworks like Laravel and Horizon.
• Hands-on experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, comfortable utilizing an ORM system (e.g., Eloquent).
• Experience with cloud platforms like AWS or GCP.
• Practical understanding of key DevOps principles including Automation, CI/CD, and Observability.
• Experience building high-traffic systems that are secure, available, scalable, and cost-efficient, ideally aligning with frameworks such as AWS's Well-Architected Framework.
• Strong understanding of Cloud Infrastructure, Microservices, Distributed Systems, and ETL processes.
• Familiarity with the Agile development process (backlog planning, retrospectives, etc.).
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), with experience coaching and mentoring other developers.