Lead Backend Engineer (Remote)

Balsam Brands is a global, eCommerce retailer with roots in seasonal, Christmas, and home décor. We are thrilled to extend our reach into Mexico City, bringing the magic of the holidays to a vibrant new location. Your role will be pivotal in shaping the future and trajectory of our company right here in Mexico City!

Why Balsam Brands? At Balsam Brands, we're not just a company. Our people-first approach means that you're not just an employee; you're a valued member of a community that values relationship building, authenticity, and doing the right thing. We've been sharing joy across the globe, with growing teams in Boise, ID, Redwood City, CA, Dublin, IE, and Manila, PH. Now, we're excited to welcome talent from the heart of Mexico City, MX!

Our Mission: Create Joy Together. Join us in empowering our team and partners to love what they do. At Balsam Brands, we're about more than just the products we sell; we're about creating experiences that inspire meaningful moments with family and friends. Your work will contribute to our larger mission of giving back to our families and communities in impactful ways.

When you join Balsam Brands in Mexico City, you're not just joining a company; you're joining a culture of caring and interesting people doing challenging work to grow together to delight our customers. Together, we're building a workplace where everyone feels welcome, supported, and encouraged to bring their best selves to work every day.

Ready to be a part of the joy? Explore more about the Lead Backend Engineer role below and apply today!

This full-time position reports to the Senior Engineering Manager and has been categorized as a teleworker position. Teleworkers do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from home. It is required for teleworkers to reside in the metropolitan Mexico City area, as we will require attendance for occasional in-person events. To ensure sufficient overlap with functional and cross-functional team members globally, some flexibility with this role's regular work schedule will be required. Most of our teams have overlap with early morning and/or early evening PST. Specific scheduling needs for this role will be discussed in the initial interview.

What you’ll do:

• Lead and mentor a team of Backend Engineers, providing guidance on coding practices, design patterns, and software architecture
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including frontend engineers, product managers, and system architects, to deliver high-quality, scalable, and performant backend solutions
• Design, develop, and maintain efficient and robust backend services using technologies such as Spring, ReST, and Java
• Implement SAP Hybris Commerce solutions for seamless integration with payment, tax, and Order Management System (OMS)
• Integrate backend services with AWS Simple Queue Service (SQS) for efficient message processing
• Develop and consume JSON-based APIs for data exchange between microservices
• Utilize gitflow for version control, ensuring a streamlined and collaborative development process
• Implement MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) architecture principles for enhanced system flexibility and scalability in a headless commerce ecosystem

What you bring to the table:

• Must be fluent in English, both written and verbal
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field strongly preferred
• Proven experience as a Backend Engineer, with at least 3 years in a leadership or lead engineering role
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor a team of engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively in a team-oriented environment

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in Spring framework and Java for backend development
• Extensive experience with ReSTful API design and implementation
• Hands-on experience with SAP Hybris Commerce, specializing in payment, tax, and Order Management System (OMS) integrations
• Knowledge of AWS SQS for reliable and scalable message queuing
• Expertise in working with JSON for data interchange
• Familiarity with gitflow for effective version control and collaboration
• Experience implementing and managing microservices architecture
• Strong understanding of MACH architecture principles

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with AWS Lambda for serverless computing
• Knowledge of monitoring tools such as New Relic for performance analysis
• Exposure to GitHub Copilot for efficient code generation
• Experience with Bitbucket for code repository management
• Implementation of feature flags for controlled feature rollouts and experimentation

Location and Travel: At Balsam Brands, we believe that time spent together, in-person, collaborating and building relationships is important. To be considered for this role, candidates must live within the metropolitan Mexico City area in order to attend team meetings, offsites, or learning and development opportunities. Please only apply if you are able to live and work full-time within the metropolitan Mexico City area.

Notes: This is a full-time (40 hours/week), indefinite position with benefits. Candidates must be Mexican nationals to be eligible for this position; this screening question will be asked during the application process. Velocity Global is the Employer of Record for Balsam Brands' Mexico City location, and you will be employed and provided benefits under their payroll. Balsam Brands has partnered with Velocity Global to act as your Employer of Record to ensure your employment will comply with all local laws and regulations and you will receive an exceptional employment experience.

Benefits Offered:

• Competitive compensation; salary is reviewed yearly and may be adjusted as part of the normal compensation review process
• Career development and growth opportunities; access to online learning solutions and annual stipend for continuous learning
• Fully remote work and flexible schedule
• Collaborate in a multicultural environment; learn and share best practices around the globe
• Government mandated benefits (IMSS, INFONAVIT, SAR, 50% vacation premium)
• Healthcare coverage provided for the employee and dependents
• Life insurance provided for the employee
• Monthly grocery coupons
• Monthly non-taxable amount for the electricity and internet services 
• 20 days Christmas bonus
• Paid Time Off: Official Mexican holidays and 12 vacation days (increases with years of service), plus additional wellness days available at start of employment 

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.