Lead AI-First Backend Engineer (Golang, Claude Code)

About the Role

We are looking for a Lead AI-First Backend Engineer to join a product team building an AI-powered tourism platform.

This is not a traditional backend role. We don’t need someone who just writes code — we need an engineer who builds features end-to-end using AI tools, takes ownership of delivery, and ensures what gets shipped actually works.

You will use Claude Code and other agentic AI tools to significantly accelerate development while maintaining high standards of architecture, performance, and product quality.

Key Requirements (Must-Have)

• 5+ years of experience with Golang (exceptional 4+ years considered)
• Proven hands-on experience with Claude Code or similar AI coding tools (mandatory)
• Strong experience delivering backend systems in production
• Demonstrated experience leading delivery within a team (informal or formal tech lead)
• Strong English communication skills (Upper-Intermediate or higher)

What Makes This Role Different

• AI writes most of the code — you guide, review, and ship
• You are responsible for end-to-end feature delivery
• There is no QA team — you own quality completely
• This is a hands-on engineering role, not people management

What You’ll Do

• Own features end-to-end: from specification to deployment and bug fixing
• Use Claude Code to generate backend code in Golang
• Review AI-generated code for correctness, performance, and architecture
• Quickly iterate: fix issues, learn the codebase, and ship new features
• Make pragmatic decisions on what to build vs buy vs generate with AI
• Work directly with users/customers to resolve issues and ship fixes fast

Lead Responsibilities (Without People Management)

• Act as the spokesperson for your pod (engineers, product, design)
• Coordinate delivery: break down work, align priorities, remove blockers
• Represent your team in product planning and stakeholder discussions
• Contribute to product decisions and trade-offs with a strong product mindset
• Join client conversations when needed to align on requirements and delivery

👉 You remain primarily a hands-on engineer — leadership sits on top of your IC work.

Tech Environment

• Backend: Golang monorepo (multiple services, no heavy framework)
• Infrastructure: Container-based (Docker, PaaS-managed)
• Databases: PostgreSQL, Redis
• Async: Redis-based queues
• Observability: Jaeger (tracing), Betterstack (logging & alerts)
• AI Tooling: Claude Code (mandatory)

What You’ll Build

• AI-driven platform features and agent-based systems
• Backend services and APIs
• Data pipelines and integrations
• Connections to external APIs (suppliers, partners, AI providers)

You’re a Great Fit If You

• Think in features and systems, not just code
• Use AI as your primary development tool
• Can quickly identify issues in AI-generated code
• Ship fast but always validate quality
• Have led delivery in a team (even without formal title)
• Care about product impact, not just implementation

Important Notes

• This is not a people management role
• This is a high-ownership, high-speed environment
• Candidates must demonstrate real AI-first development experience