Lead Backend Engineer

About Pocket Worlds:

Welcome to Pocket Worlds! Our mission is to connect the world through shared experiences, and our work shapes the future of social virtual worlds.

Here’s why we’re one of the most exciting places to continue your career:

• Featured as one of the most innovative companies in the world by Fast Company.

• Silicon Valley startup culture, with serial startup founders out of Y Combinator.

• An elite team of seasoned veterans from some of the best companies in the world.

• Tackling a mission at a world-changing scale—solving big problems, not local wins.

• Profitable business with strong foundations and a dedicated, established user base.

About the Role:

We are seeking a Lead Backend Engineer with extensive backend development and cloud infrastructure experience (AWS, Kubernetes, MongoDB). The ideal candidate should be comfortable in a high-energy and fast-moving environment, leading a small and elite team with lots of responsibilities and ownership.

The ideal candidate values a lot of control over their career and is genuinely excited to see a virtual universe be brought to life through their work. The success of this role will be measured by the impact you deliver to our team, product, and world.

Our Current Backend Technical Stack:

• Async typed Python, Go

• Kubernetes (kOps)

• AWS

• Terraform, Helm

• MongoDB, ElasticSearch and Redis

• OpenSearch, Grafana, Kibana and Prometheus

• REST, FlatBuffers, WebSocket Secure (WSS)

• Micro Services, event-based architecture
  

Our Planned Stack Upgrades:

• Expand our infrastructure to support global growth

• Enhance our cloud native tools and practices to improve our systems with regard to business continuity and security

• ML-driven recommendations and search engines

• Game server hosting for UGC (User Generated Content)

• AI-powered content generation
  

Requirements:

• You have at least 10 years of experience in backend development and infrastructure management, with at least 4 of those in a senior+ role.

• You have extensive experience managing infrastructure at scale, with proven success at delivering stability and performance.

• You have experience with direct ownership of service orchestration with direct involvement in the documentation, support, deployment, observability and CI/CD pipelining.

• You have experience leading small teams and being the stake holder with significant ownership and responsibilities.

• You are an expert with owning and operating Kubernetes, preferably in AWS.

• You have experience with and are comfortable working in a high-velocity startup environment.

• You have experience supporting mission-critical applications at scale.

• You have experience programming Python.

• You love what you do. Your work is your passion, and you value working with people who share your values.
  

Bonuses:

• You have experience programming in GO, C# or Lua.

• You have experience with the Unity Gaming Engine.

• You have experience orchestrating stateful applications such as game servers.

• You have built any side projects or games outside of work or made significant open-source contributions.

• You are a starter who loves to experiment and learn new things.

• You’re highly energetic and feel comfortable leading and pushing your team to succeed.

• You are comfortable taking control of large systems with minimal documentation.

Why work with us:

• Impact from Day One – You’ll have real responsibility and ownership.

• Join a Small, Elite Team – Work closely with top talent in a high-impact environment.

• Fast-Paced & Fun – We’re building something exciting, and every day is different.

• Great People – Work with ambitious, talented individuals who move fast and innovate.
  

Benefits (Full-Time Employees):

• Competitive Compensation

• Meaningful equity - we’re here to do amazing work, and we share in our wins together.

• Equipment allowance - choose what you need to work at your best.

• Healthcare, 401k (US only)

• Unlimited PTO.

• Education/Training stipend - we've set aside a budget for every employee to continue to learn and grow their skills.

Any communications from Pocket Worlds will only come from an @pocketworlds.com or @everskies.com domain. If you receive any communications, offers, etc. from any other domain, it is likely a scam.

Compensation Range: $130K - $200K