Lead Engineer, Back-end

Our Engineering team ensures Code and Theory delivers scalable, high-performance, web applications that delight users. We always strive to balance the demanding nature of working on cutting-edge technologies with the real-world demands of high-performance web applications. Working in collaboration with our multi-disciplinary engineering, design, and quality assurance teams, you will build software that solves real-world problems for incredible clients.

Our Back-end Engineers partner with our cross-functional teams to identify and implement innovative technologies that ensure server-side applications are robust, secure, efficient, and drive business growth. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Be a hands-on leader to engineering teams in successfully delivering scalable, maintainable, and secure features to our customers; advocating for clean code, process enhancements, and continuous improvements
• Integrate Foundation Model LLMs and internal RAG systems into backend services
• Implement workflow orchestration logic to manage task dependencies and execution order
• Collaborate with AI specialists to effectively integrate LLMs and RAG systems
• Work closely with frontend developers and other team members to ensure seamless integration of backend components
• Ensure the system is scalable and efficient, capable of handling high loads and complex workflows
• Implement asynchronous processing, caching mechanisms, and optimize communication protocols
• Implement logging, monitoring, and alerting mechanisms to track system performance and agent activities
• Adhere to best practices for data privacy and security, including encryption and compliance with relevant regulations
• Write clear, comprehensive technical documentation for developed components
• Develop unit tests, integration tests, and conduct thorough testing to ensure reliability and robustness
• Complete assigned tasks in a timely manner within project constraints
• Cultivate a collaborative working environment and a culture of technical ownership

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 8 years minimum experience in software programming, specializing in back-end software development
• Programming Languages: Proven experience with Python, and experience with Go or Java is a plus
• Workflow Orchestration: Deep understanding of designing and implementing complex workflows. Experience with LangChain is a plus. 
• AI Integration: Familiarity with AI frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch) and working knowledge of LLMs
• APIs and Communication Protocols: Experience with RESTful APIs, gRPC, and asynchronous communication
• Databases: Proficiency with both SQL and NoSQL databases; experience with state management
• Messaging Systems: Experience with message brokers like RabbitMQ or Apache Kafka
• Containerization and Orchestration: Experience with Docker and Kubernetes for deploying scalable applications
• Security: Understanding of authentication, authorization, encryption, and secure coding practices
• AI and ML Expertise: Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems. Knowledge of prompt engineering and persona-based AI model interactions. Familiarity with Hugging Face Transformers or similar libraries.
• DevOps Skills: Experience with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible). Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Azure.
• Monitoring Tools: Experience with monitoring and logging tools like Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, or OpenTelemetry.
• Strong experience with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Prefect, Temporal.io, Apache Airflow).
• Experience integrating with AI/ML models, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs)
• Proven experience in building distributed systems and microservices architecture
• Act as product evangelist with deep curiosity on technology trends and being able to go deep into technology and relate technical enhancements to build a product vision
• Must be a compelling and clear communicator; able to explain the full possibilities of the tech stack/architecture and represent your team to internal and external audiences with differing levels of technical fluency
• Self-motivated and focused on achieving excellence as a team

ABOUT US

Born in 2001, Code and Theory is a digital-first creative agency that sits at the center of creativity and technology. We pride ourselves on not only solving consumer and business problems, but also helping to establish new capabilities for our clients. With a global client roster of Fortune 100s and start-ups alike, we crave the hardest problems to solve. With a remote-first approach to our people, we have teams distributed across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Code and Theory global network of agencies is growing and includes Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Mediacurrent, Rhythm, and TrueLogic.

Striving never to be pigeonholed, we work across every major category: from tech to CPG, financial services to travel & hospitality, government and education to media and publishing. We value the collaboration with our client partners, including but not limited to Adidas, Amazon, Con Edison, Diageo, EY, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lenovo, Marriott, Mars, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, and TikTok.

The Code and Theory network is comprised of nearly 2,000 people with 50% engineers and 50% creative talent. We’re always on the lookout for smart, driven, and forward-thinking people to join our team.

The target range of base compensation for this role is $150k-$175k. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and location.