Lead Backend Engineer, Node.js

Alertus Technologies

Lead Backend Engineer at Alertus designing high-throughput notification engines for mass notifications. Architecting resilient systems to ensure reliability and throughput for emergency communications.

Posted 4/24/2026full-timeBaltimore • Maryland • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $120,000 - $170,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsDynamoDBJavaScriptKafkaMongoDBMySQLNode.jsNoSQLPostgresRabbitMQRedis

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and evolve a high-throughput notification engine capable of handling massive spikes in data without compromising on latency or reliability.
Continuously refine system architecture to meet and exceed strict SLAs, ensuring the engine remains performant as our user base grows.
Implement sophisticated monitoring, alerting, and self-healing protocols to identify and resolve bottlenecks before they impact our users.
Set the standard for engineering excellence through high-quality code reviews, technical documentation, and proactive mentorship of the engineering team.
Design and maintain high-performance database schemas and query structures optimized for rapid ingestion and retrieval of millions of notification records.
Build and maintain robust API integrations and asynchronous communication pathways (message queues, event-driven architecture) across diverse notification channels.
Transition high-level business requirements into technical roadmaps, focusing on modularity, security, and long-term maintainability.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Deep, production-level expertise in Node.js, with a comprehensive understanding of its asynchronous nature and event-driven architecture.
Proven experience designing and maintaining complex, multi-tenant SaaS environments that prioritize uptime and data integrity.
Proven experience with both relational (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL (e.g., Redis, DynamoDB, MongoDB) databases, specifically focusing on performance tuning, indexing strategies, and data modeling for scale.
A strong background in distributed systems, including experience with message brokers (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka) and database optimization.
Expert knowledge of monitoring tools and observability practices to ensure 24/7 system health.
The ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders while fostering an inclusive, collaborative environment.
Ability to travel on occasion.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Holidays
401(k) Retirement Plan
Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans
Short-term Disability, Accident, Hospital, and Cancer Insurance
Live Near Your Work HomeBuying Incentive
Employee Referral Bonuses
Flex Scheduling

ATS Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Node.jsasynchronous programmingevent-driven architectureSaaS environmentsPostgreSQLMySQLRedisDynamoDBMongoDBdistributed systems

Soft Skills

mentorshipcommunicationcollaborationtechnical documentationproblem-solvingarticulating technical conceptsfostering inclusivity