Engineering Team Lead (Backend / API) – NodeJS – Remote (UK or Europe)

Engineering Team Lead (Backend / API) – NodeJS – Remote (UK or Europe)

Role Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Engineering Team Lead (Backend) to join a high-performing engineering team, reporting to the Engineering Manager. This is a senior contract role for someone who combines strong technical expertise with team leadership, helping guide engineers while remaining actively involved in design and development.

You will play a key role in leading a team of backend engineers, driving delivery while ensuring high engineering standards and strong collaboration across Product, Delivery, and Architecture. A major focus of this role will be designing and evolving robust, scalable APIs that power critical digital services.

Alongside technical leadership, you will mentor engineers within the team, support technical decision-making, and help ensure the team delivers high-quality, maintainable systems.

This role requires a delivery-focused contractor mindset — someone comfortable taking ownership, guiding engineers, and ensuring projects move forward effectively.

Key Requirements

• Strong NodeJS backend engineering experience within complex production environments
• Deep understanding of API design and development (RESTful services, scalable API architecture, best practices)
• Experience leading or guiding engineering teams, supporting collaboration and delivery
• Proven track record mentoring engineers and improving engineering standards
• Strong system design and architecture skills (scalability, resilience, performance)
• Confidence working with Product, Delivery, and Architecture stakeholders
• Experience building systems on AWS with PostgreSQL in cloud-native environments

Technology

NodeJS, PostgreSQL, AWS, API-driven architecture, distributed systems

The Project

You will be contributing to the development of core backend services that power next-generation digital platforms. These systems rely heavily on well-designed APIs and scalable services, requiring strong technical leadership within the team and continuous improvement of the platform architecture.

The Company

An established digital organisation operating at significant scale, with a strong engineering culture and a major investment in modern architecture and technical excellence.

Location

Remote – London (Hybrid)

Salary

£120k + Benefits