Backend Software Engineer at SOUM (Egypt)
SOUM· Egypt·
Role details
Job description
Work Week: Sunday - Thursday Work Timings: Sunday to Thursday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (KSA time)
About Us
At Soum, we're on a mission to build a marketplace that enables users to buy and sell anything online with convenience, trust, and ease, starting in the MENA market. We began with second-hand electronics in KSA, becoming market leaders, and are now expanding to used cars and collectibles. In just two years, we've facilitated hundreds of thousands of transactions across 150+ locations in the Kingdom, maintained 10,000 active listings at any given time, earned the distinction of being the 10th most downloaded e-commerce app in KSA for 2023, and received more than 5 million app downloads. Job Summary We are seeking a skilled and motivated Backend Software Engineer to join our dynamic team. As a Backend Software Engineer, you will play a critical role in designing, developing, and maintaining scalable backend systems and microservices that power our products. If you have a strong foundation in backend development, enjoy solving complex problems, and thrive in a collaborative environment, we want to hear from you.
Role & Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and maintain backend systems using Node.js, TypeScript, and Nest.js.
- Build and manage scalable microservices architecture with a focus on performance and reliability.
- Develop APIs and handle inter-service communication using gRPC.
- Work with MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and ClickHouse for data modeling, storage, and optimization.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand requirements and deliver high-quality solutions.
- Ensure code quality and maintainability through best practices, code reviews, and testing.
- Troubleshoot, debug, and optimize backend systems to ensure seamless performance.
Requirements & Qualifications
Required Skills
- Design, develop, and maintain backend systems using Node.js, TypeScript, and Nest.js.
- Build and manage scalable microservices architecture with a focus on performance and reliability.
- Develop APIs and handle inter-service communication using gRPC.
- Work with MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and ClickHouse for data modeling, storage, and optimization.
- Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and deployment strategies.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure.
- Knowledge of distributed systems and event-driven architectures.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 4–5+ years of hands-on experience in backend software development.
- Proficient in Node.js and TypeScript.
- Experience working with MongoDB and PostgreSQL in production environments.
- Solid understanding of microservices architecture and communication protocols like gRPC.
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Nice to Have
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and Docker.
- Exposure to Golang for building performant backend components.
- Experience in scaling and optimizing backend systems for high-traffic applications.
Why work at SOUM
- Culture: Soum describes itself as looking for "innovators, the hungry, the go-getters" and offers autonomy to experiment, learn, fail, and grow. The team is called "Soumers" and has worked across 14+ countries from the US to South Korea.
- Remote/Hybrid Policy: Mixed. Many roles are remote (e.g., Cairo-based positions), but some roles (e.g., Senior Compliance Officer, Operations roles) are on-site in Riyadh or Jeddah. The company has offices in Riyadh and Cairo.
- Global & Diverse Team: 90 employees spread across 8 countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, UAE, South Korea, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, US). Engineering and product teams are distributed.
- Engineering Culture: AI/ML is core to the product; they deploy models for recommendations, dynamic pricing, predictive analytics, and fraud detection. The technical team makes up ~12% of headcount.
- Growth Trajectory: High-growth startup (10%+ YoY headcount growth, expanding geographies and categories) offering significant ownership and impact.
- Compensation: Senior Software Engineer roles reported at ~SAR 128,877/month. Overall employer rating is 3.7/5 (19 reviews on LinkedIn), with Culture rated 3.6 and Career growth rated 3.5.
- AI in Hiring: Soum discloses that they use AI tools to support parts of the hiring process (reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, identifying signals), but final decisions are made by humans.