Principal Backend Engineer – Core

The Leaflet

Principal Backend Engineer at Hard Rock Digital focusing on backend systems and engineering leadership. Driving technical excellence and mentoring engineers while building products for millions of users.

Posted 7/21/2026full-timeRemote • Florida • 🇺🇸 United StatesLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates deep backend engineering expertise with a focus on designing and building distributed systems at scale, while championing AI-assisted development practices. Proficient in mentoring and developing senior engineers, ensuring high technical excellence across teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Backend Engineering ExpertiseDistributed Systems DesignJava ProgrammingAI-Assisted Development ToolsTechnical Leadership

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Backend EngineeringDistributed SystemsJavaArchitecture DesignTechnical Excellence

Soft Skills

Written CommunicationVerbal CommunicationMentoringInfluencing

Tools & Technologies

AI-Assisted Development ToolsGitHub CopilotClaude CodeCursor

Industry Keywords

Core Account InfrastructureGeolocation Flows

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsJava

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Be a technical point of contact for various stakeholders
Be hands-on in both coding and architecture
Partner closely with Engineering and Product leadership to shape roadmaps
Mobilise the team around high-impact problems
Lead and influence architectural direction for the most complex systems
Set and uphold a high bar for technical excellence across the team
Proactively mentor, sponsor and develop senior engineers
Champion the adoption of AI-assisted development practices and tools

Requirements

What you’ll need

Demonstrable experience operating at staff or principal level
Deep backend engineering expertise with a track record of designing and building distributed systems at scale
Experience with Java is a strong advantage
Solid understanding of Core account infrastructure and geolocation flows
Strong written and verbal communication
Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g. GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor)

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive pay and benefits
Flexible vacation allowance
Flexible work from home or office hours
Startup culture backed by a secure, global brand
Opportunity to build products enjoyed by millions as part of a passionate team