Working location: Ha Noi or Da Nang
Qualifications
- 5+ years of backend engineering experience, with 2+ years in a Tech Lead or equivalent role. Former startup founders, or engineers from highly entrepreneurial environments.
- Deep backend fundamentals: distributed systems, data modeling, event-driven architectures, API design, scalability, and reliability.
- Hands-on experience in at least two of the four initiative domains: payments/fintech, marketplace/platform, B2B SaaS, or AI/LLM engineering.
- A track record of designing maintainable systems and raising the technical bar across teams.
- Strong English communication skills and an AI-first engineering mindset.
Nice to have:
- Familiarity with: Node.js, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, AWS, Docker, or equivalent.
- Experience in high-growth startups or distributed teams across time zones (Vietnam and US).
Responsibilities
Technical Direction & Architecture
- Own the architectural patterns and technical standards for Core's backend systems — workout programming engines, scheduling logic, nutrition tracking, multi-tenant platform infrastructure, notification pipelines, and third-party integrations.
- Drive solution design for complex features: new product areas, cross-squad integrations, platform-level changes, and performance-critical systems.
- Make architectural decisions that balance delivery velocity with long-term maintainability — Core is a high-frequency product and tech debt accumulates fast.
- Define and uphold engineering standards across all six Core sub-squads: API design, data modeling, testing practices, code review culture, and documentation.
- Proactively identify and lead reduction of technical debt in coordination with Engineering Management and Product.
Hands-on Engineering
- Stay in the code on the most critical work — core platform infrastructure, high-risk migrations, cross-squad technical foundations, and architectural proof-of-concepts.
- Review pull requests across sub-squads with depth and speed, giving feedback that helps engineers grow — not just ships.
- Set the standard for what good code looks like across Core: observable, testable, maintainable, and scalable.
AI-First Engineering
- Champion AI-assisted development across all Core sub-squads — from code generation and test writing to automated documentation and PR reviews.
- Collaborate with the AI squad on integrating AI features directly into Core workflows: smart programming suggestions, automated progress summaries, AI-powered onboarding.
- Help engineers build practical AI fluency through pairing, demos, and shared tooling workflows.
Mentorship & Team Growth
- Mentor and coach engineers across Core sub-squads — raising the technical bar through code reviews, architectural guidance, and technical pairing.
- Run regular technical discussions and design reviews that help engineers grow as system thinkers, not just feature builders.
- Contribute to hiring across Core: design technical assessments and conduct engineering interviews calibrated to the Core domain.
Cross-functional Collaboration
- Be the primary technical voice in product discovery across Core — shaping what's feasible, what's scalable, and what will cause pain six months from now.
- Partner closely with Core PMs, BAs, QA Lead, and Design to ensure technical decisions translate cleanly into user-facing product quality.
- Align with Tech Leads in other squads (Marketplace, Payment, AI) on shared infrastructure, platform standards, and cross-squad integrations.
- Represent Core Engineering in cross-functional leadership discussions, communicating system decisions with clarity to non-technical stakeholders.
