Lead Backend Engineer

As a Lead Backend Engineer at Enigmatic Smile, you’ll be responsible for guiding the technical direction of our backend services, mentoring engineers, and delivering high-quality, scalable, secure software that supports millions of global customers. You’ll work closely with engineering managers, product teams, and cross-functional stakeholders to architect robust systems, lead complex initiatives, and elevate engineering standards across the organisation.Security is a core requirement for Enigmatic Smile, so adherence to PCI and ISO policies is a must for all engineering roles.What do we do?Enigmatic Smile is a fintech scale‑up. We’re a distributed team with headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland. Our customers are worldwide, and each region has its own requirements that we support through our platform. We’re a visionary company enabling customers, retailers, rewards publishers and banks around the world to improve customer experiences.Who are we looking for?You’re someone who brings leadership, ownership, and strong technical judgment to everything you build. You’re proactive, collaborative, and confident making architectural decisions that impact multiple teams. You’re comfortable mentoring developers, managing priorities, and championing engineering best practices.Our way of workingWe’re a distributed team; the primary engineering locations are the UK and Portugal. Our wider team spans multiple continents. Day‑to‑day work is mostly in European time zones (GMT ±2). Our working language is English. This role is primarily remote, with occasional travel/office visits.Objectives of this roleLead the delivery of high-quality backend software that is scalable, performant, and secureDrive architectural design discussions across multiple systems and teamsLine management and mentorship of backend engineers through code reviews, pairing, and coachingShape engineering standards, processes, and best practicesWork with other senior engineers and product teams to ensure solutions are robust, maintainable, and compliant with PCI/ISO requirementsSupport the QA team and contribute to automated testing strategiesContribute to planning and participate in project management ceremoniesCollaborate with cross‑functional teams to deliver business‑critical features end‑to‑endResponsibilitiesArchitect and build backend services and APIs powering our global fintech platformOwn complex technical projects from design through to deploymentImprove system stability, reliability, and observability across servicesTroubleshoot and resolve complex production issuesAdvocate for performance optimisation, scalability and security improvementsEnsure adherence to internal engineering policies, coding standards, and compliance frameworksWork closely with DevOps engineers to enhance CI/CD pipelines and production infrastructureContribute to long‑term technical strategy and system roadmapsProvide leadership within the backend engineering group, helping shape culture and engineering excellenceRequirementsExtensive experience in backend engineering with PHP as a primary language (Laravel or similar frameworks)Strong knowledge of modern development tooling, testing methodologies, and CI/CD pipelinesStrong understanding of distributed systems, microservices, caching, queues, and high‑throughput API designExperience with Docker, Git/GitHub workflows, and modern cloud environmentsStrong database experience (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB or Document‑based DBs)Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to debug complex issues across systemsAbility to prioritise, communicate clearly, and lead delivery in a fast‑moving environmentUnderstanding of secure development practices, PCI‑DSS, and ISO standards (beneficial)Experience with Phalcon frameworkExperience or strong interest in Go or RustExperience with message brokers (Kafka, RabbitMQ, SNS/SQS, etc.)Experience with high‑scale, event‑driven architecturesExperience with performance profiling and optimisationExperience mentoring or managing other developersAs a scaling company, our benefits are evolving. As a minimum, you can expect:Flexible working hours and ability to work abroadProfessional development and certification support.28 days holiday + local bank holidays #J-18808-Ljbffr