Staff Software Engineer (Node.js & TypeScript)

Job Description We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to provide technical leadership in the design, development, and scaling of our core SaaS platforms and backend systems. This role combines hands-on engineering expertise in the Node.js ecosystem with architectural ownership and client-facing consulting responsibilities. You will drive the technical strategy for our backend services, ensuring high performance, type safety, and scalability while mentoring a growing team of engineers. Key Responsibilities Technical Architecture & Development - Architect Scalable Systems: Lead the design and implementation of distributed backend systems using TypeScript and Node.js (NestJS/Express/Fastify) that can handle high throughput and complex data processing. - System Integration: Design robust APIs (REST and GraphQL) and event-driven architectures (Kafka/RabbitMQ) to integrate our SaaS products with AI models, external data sources, and third-party services. - Database Design: Oversee data architecture, schema design, and query optimization across SQL (PostgreSQL) and NoSQL (MongoDB/Redis) databases; manage complex migrations and ORM implementations (TypeORM/Prisma). - Performance & Security: Ensure production readiness by implementing advanced caching strategies, memory management, security best practices (OWASP), and latency optimization for Node.js runtimes. - Cloud-Native DevOps: Define deployment strategies on AWS/Azure/GCP. Establish containerized standards using Docker and Kubernetes, and drive Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) adoption. - Platform Development: Lead the backend development of the Heka.ai ecosystem, ensuring modularity and reusability across different products. Tactical & Cross-Team Leadership - DRI for Architecture: Act as the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for major architectural blueprints; own technical design documents (TDDs) and migration plans. - Incident Management: Maintain ownership of triage and incident prioritization; advocate for technical debt reduction and system reliability (SRE practices). - Repository Ownership: Serve as the primary maintainer for critical repositories, enforcing strict coding standards, type safety, and test coverage. - Mentorship: Mentor Senior and mid-level engineers formally; grow the team via code reviews, pair programming, and career coaching. - Project Leadership: Break down large strategic efforts into epics and Minimum Viable Changes (MVCs); coordinate cross-team delivery. - Hiring & Culture: Participate in hiring: design technical interviews for the Node.js track, assess candidates, and foster a culture of engineering excellence and inclusivity.