Senior Backend Engineer

We’re looking for 2 experienced Senior Backend Engineers to join our backend engineering team behind Nexus Mods’ core services. In this role, you will design, build, and scale the APIs and systems that power Nexus Mods’ ecosystem. This is a chance to work on problems most companies never see: massive scale, complex compatibility, and passionate user communities.

From discovery and experimentation, to delivery and scale, you’ll be hands-on in shaping features that directly impact the modding ecosystem:

• Helping millions of gamers discover, download, and manage mods effortlessly.
• Empowering creators to publish, distribute, and manage their work with confidence.
• Building high-traffic APIs that serve millions of requests per hour.
• Designing backend systems that support both web and desktop applications.
• Improving performance, scalability, and reliability of critical services.
• Creating tools that make modding safer, more accessible, easier and more fun.
• Experimenting with new features and quickly validating ideas with real users.
• Tackling complex challenges around dependencies, versioning, and compatibility.
• Identifying and tackling technical debut, ensuring our platform evolves to handle the next decade of growth in gaming.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs that power mod delivery, installation, publishing, and creator dashboards.
• Ensure services are performant, reliable, and secure at scale (tens of millions of users).
• Collaborate with Frontend, App, and DevOps Engineers in your pod to deliver end-to-end features.
• Contribute to product discovery by prototyping APIs, validating technical feasibility, and surfacing trade-offs early.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code.
• Set and maintain high standards and process: tests, CI/CD, documentation.
• Help mentor other engineers and contribute to shared standards across pods.

Requirements

• Deep experience with at least one backend language (Ruby, PHP, Java, Go, Node.js, etc.) and curiosity to learn others.
• Experience designing and building APIs (REST and/or GraphQL).
• Solid experience with relational databases (Postgres, MySQL) and familiarity with NoSQL stores (Redis, ElasticSearch).
• Experience with distributed systems, queues, and event-driven architectures.
• Production experience with performance optimisation, caching and scalability.
• Hands-on experience deploying services with CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration (Docker/K8s).
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a cross-functional team.
• Ability to balance speed, quality and pragmatism in delivery.

Bonus Skills

• Familiarity with Ruby on Rails.
• Knowledge of authentication, identity management, and payments.
• Experience with search systems (ElasticSearch, Meilisearch).
• Understanding of gaming ecosystems (e.g. multiplayer services, content distribution, or digital marketplaces).
• Experience building tools for creators, modding communities, or user-generated content platforms.
• Passion for games and mods. Whether that’s tweaking Skyrim load orders, building Minecraft servers, or diving into Baldur’s Gate 3 mods.