Software Development Engineer - 3 (Backend)
THE ROLE
Software Development Engineer - 3 (Backend)
We're looking for a Software Development Engineer - 3 (Backend) to join our growing engineering team. In this role, you will lead the design and development of highly scalable, reliable backend systems that power our core products. You will solve complex technical challenges, drive architectural decisions, and play a key role in shaping the technical direction of the team.
Success in this role means delivering robust, high-performance systems at scale, proactively identifying and solving ambiguous problems, and influencing engineering excellence across teams. You will also mentor engineers, drive best practices, and contribute to building a high-performing engineering culture. This position is critical to enabling scalable growth and supporting Quince's mission of delivering exceptional quality at incredible value.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the design and implementation of scalable, resilient backend systems and services
- Own architectural decisions and drive system design for complex, high-scale distributed systems
- Identify and solve deeply complex technical challenges related to scalability, performance, and reliability
- Define and drive short-term and long-term technical strategy for backend systems
- Establish and enforce high standards for code quality, system design, and engineering best practices
- Review and guide design and code across teams to ensure consistency and excellence
- Mentor and develop engineers across levels, fostering a strong engineering culture
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (product, data, infra) to drive end-to-end delivery of impactful solutions
- Proactively identify areas of improvement in system architecture, performance, and developer productivity
- Drive initiatives around system observability, reliability, and operational excellence
- Contribute significantly to hiring, team building, and raising the bar for engineering talent
Qualifications:
- Strong computer science fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, and system design
- 5+ years of experience in backend development using Java, Spring/Spring Boot
- Deep expertise in building and scaling high-traffic, distributed systems
- Strong experience with SQL and NoSQL databases and data modeling at scale
- Proven experience in designing fault-tolerant, highly available systems
- Ability to drive architecture and influence technical decisions across teams
- Strong debugging and problem-solving skills for complex, large-scale systems
- Experience working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with high ownership
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Demonstrated experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives
Preferred:
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and cloud-native architectures
- Strong understanding of microservices architecture and distributed systems patterns
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and infrastructure automation
- Familiarity with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes
- Experience driving large-scale system migrations or architectural transformations
- Prior experience in high-growth startups or consumer internet companies.
