[Remote] Lead Backend Engineer (Modeling & Simulation)

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Code Metal is hiring a Lead Backend Engineer for its Modeling & Simulation team. The role leads and grows the backend and data engineering team while owning the architecture and hands-on development of Python services, APIs, and data systems for a wargaming and decision-support platform.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a high-performing backend and data engineering team while remaining hands-on in the codebase
• Define the technical direction for backend services, APIs, data systems, and integrations across simulation, AI, frontend, and platform teams
• Design, build, and operate secure, reliable Python services, APIs, workers, and integration layers
• Translate product, research, and domain requirements into clear architectures, technical plans, and incrementally deliverable work
• Establish strong engineering standards for API design, service boundaries, testing, observability, error handling, migrations, security, and code review
• Build enterprise-grade software for cloud, private-cloud, customer-managed, on-premises, and disconnected environments
• Partner with platform and data engineering leaders to ensure systems are deployable, observable, performant, and maintainable
• Lead design reviews, RFCs, technical grooming, and pragmatic decisions across speed, correctness, reliability, and long-term maintainability
• Debug and resolve complex issues spanning services, databases, queues, APIs, infrastructure, and third-party integrations
• Review code, mentor engineers, and uphold a high bar for quality—including the validation of AI-assisted code in high-assurance environments
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and government stakeholders to align platform capabilities with mission needs
• Recruit, develop, and scale the backend and data engineering organization; at senior levels, help forecast headcount and technical capacity

Skills

• Significant experience building and operating production backend systems for enterprise software
• Strong Python programming skills and experience designing services, APIs, background workers, and integration layers
• Proven technical leadership, including architecture guidance, code review, mentoring, and delivery ownership for a small team
• Strong understanding of service architecture, domain modeling, API contracts, system boundaries, and failure modes
• Experience with relational databases—preferably PostgreSQL—along with strong SQL and data-modeling fundamentals
• Experience with ORMs and database migration frameworks, such as SQLAlchemy, Alembic, Django ORM, or comparable tools
• Experience delivering secure, reliable, observable software in production environments
• Familiarity with cloud deployment patterns in AWS, Azure, GCP, or similar platforms
• Experience supporting software deployed beyond standard SaaS environments, including private cloud, on-premises, customer-managed, appliance-style, or disconnected deployments
• Ability to make practical decisions around data consistency, reliability, observability, and operational support
• Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to turn ambiguous requirements into clear plans and working software
• Experience leading backend or data engineering teams on simulation, analytics, or decision-support platforms
• Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks, machine learning tooling, or ML pipeline integration
• Experience with cloud-based distributed systems (AWS, GCP, Azure) and Docker/containerized development
• Experience designing rule-driven systems, policy engines, or configuration-driven business logic
• Experience managing managers, or growing engineers into technical-lead roles
• Active U.S. security clearance (Secret, Top Secret, or SCI/SAP)
• Experience with observability practices and tooling, including structured logging, metrics, tracing, health checks, alerting, and service dashboards
• Experience with authentication, authorization, role-based access control, audit logging, and secure service-to-service communication
• Experience designing systems that integrate with external services, legacy systems, third-party APIs, simulators, data pipelines, or customer-owned infrastructure
• Experience with geospatial systems, simulation systems, planning systems, logistics systems, or other complex operational domains
• Experience helping teams establish engineering practices without adding unnecessary process or slowing delivery

Benefits

• Health care plan with 100% premium coverage, including medical, dental, and vision
• 401k with 5% matching
• Paid Time Off (uncapped vacation, plus sick and public holidays)
• Flexible hybrid or remote work arrangement
• Relocation assistance for qualifying employees
• Equity

Company Overview