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Lead Backend Engineer

Role overview

Qualifications

  • Significant experience as a senior or lead backend engineer, with ownership of architecture decisions in a production environment
  • Deep proficiency in at least one backend language (Ruby, Python, Elixir, Go, or similar) and the ability to judge when language choice matters
  • Strong opinions on API design, data modelling, and system evolution
  • Hands-on experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into real products, or demonstrated interest in doing so

Responsibilities

  • Lead the architectural direction of Tonsser's backend platform and shape its evolution to the next phase
  • Drive the technical roadmap for the new flagship project
  • Set standards for AI usage in development workflows and as a product capability
  • Ship production code, review pull requests, and mentor fellow engineers

About the company

Tonsser logo

Tonsser

Sports & Athletics

Empowering youth players to progress and unlock their potential. The Tonsser app is live in 10 countries and empower 1.7m users to create their player identity, capture performances with video and stats, be inspired, improve and discover life-changing opportunities. We’re a passionate team from across the globe, committed to building the best product for football players. Every day, we’re looking for new ways to give our engaged and passionate users the tools to accelerate their game and stay motivated. Have a look at our job page or reach out to us if you are interested in learning more about the Tonsser mission or life inside a company trying to improve the conditions for the next gen of footballers.

Company details

Company typeStartup
IndustrySports & Athletics
Company size11 - 50

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Job description

About Tonsser

Tonsser is on a mission to redefine youth sports. Hundreds of thousands of young athletes across Europe already use Tonsser to track their performance, get discovered, and feel part of something bigger than the next match. We're now starting our most ambitious chapter yet, a new project that will reshape an entire category, and we're looking for a Lead Backend Engineer to help us build it.

 


The Role

You'll own the architecture of the Tonsser platform as we move into this next phase. That means making the foundational technical decisions for a product used by a generation of athletes and setting the bar for how a small, ambitious team builds in 2026.

This is a hands-on lead role. You'll write code, shape the system, and set the technical direction. You'll also help us level up as a team, particularly around how we adopt AI as a core part of how we build and what we ship.


What you'll do
  • Lead the architectural direction of our backend platform as we evolve from where we are today toward what's next
  • Drive the technical roadmap for our new flagship project
  • Set the standard for how the team works with AI, both in our development workflow and as a product capability
  • Ship production code, review PRs, and mentor the engineers around you
  • Partner closely with product, mobile, and design to turn ambitious ideas into things that actually work at scale
  • Make pragmatic calls about what to keep, what to evolve, and what to rebuild

  • Our current stack
  • Ruby monolith with a GraphQL API
  • SQL (PostgreSQL)
  • Hosted on Heroku
  • Native iOS and Android apps, with the ambition to move to Kotlin Multiplatform
  • We're not dogmatic about the stack, we're looking for someone who can help us decide what stays, what changes, and what comes next.

     


    What we're looking for
  • Significant experience as a senior or lead backend engineer, ideally with time spent owning architecture decisions in a production environment
  • Deep comfort with at least one of Ruby, Python, Elixir, Go, or a similar modern backend language, and the judgement to know when language choice matters and when it doesn't
  • Strong opinions on API design, data modelling, and system evolution
  • Hands-on experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into real products, or a strong, demonstrable interest in doing so
  • Experience leading or mentoring other engineers
  • Comfortable working remotely across European timezones
  • Bonus: experience with consumer-scale mobile backends, GraphQL, or Kotlin Multiplatform

  • The shape of the role
  • Location: Remote, anywhere in Europe
  • Engagement: Open to starting as a freelance contract, with the clear intention of moving to a permanent role
  • Compensation: €80,000–€90,000, with flexibility based on experience

  • How to apply
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    MR

    Marcus Rivera

    Chief Revenue Officer

    m.rivera@company.com
    linkedin.com/in/marcusrivera
    Unlocked after you apply
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