--- title: 'Backend Software Engineer at SOUM' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/backend-software-engineer-soum-egypt-9r4m30kfz2ay' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-27' --- # Backend Software Engineer at SOUM - **Company:** SOUM - **Location:** Egypt - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-10-26 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-27 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/soum/8421b799-704a-4c9f-8c24-2c63ca4f6f65 ## 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. ## About SOUM ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Soum is a re-commerce marketplace platform based in Saudi Arabia that enables individuals and businesses to buy and sell pre-owned goods—starting with electronics and expanding into automobiles and collectibles—with guaranteed, end-to-end transaction support. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series A) - **Headquarters**: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Bader Almubarak (CEO), Fahad Al Hassan, Fahad Albassam ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Internet Marketplace Platforms / Re-commerce - **Target customers**: B2C (individual buyers and sellers), B2B (small businesses via Merchant App), and B2B2C (telecom/retail partners with bulk-selling options) - **Mission or purpose statement**: "Build a marketplace that enables users to buy and sell anything online with convenience, trust, and ease starting in the MENA market." ## Products & Services - **Peer-to-Peer Marketplace**: A platform for individuals to list and sell second-hand electronics, used cars, and collectibles. Soum manages the entire transaction cycle including listing approval, logistics coordination, payment holding, and delivery guarantee. - **Merchant App**: A dedicated tool for small businesses to sell faster and reach a wider audience through the Soum marketplace. - **Bulk-Selling Solutions for Partners**: Tailored services for telecom and retail partners (e.g., bulk inspections, warehouse management, optimal returns) for high-volume inventory. - **AI-Powered Platform Features**: Personalized recommendations, dynamic pricing, predictive analytics, and fraud detection models deployed across the marketplace. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Total Funding**: $22M USD to date - **Notable Investors**: Jahez Group (lead, Series A), Isometry Capital (New York-based), Al Rajhi Partners, Khwarizmi Ventures, Outliers Venture Capital - **Growth Signals**: - 10th most downloaded e-commerce app in KSA in 2023 - Over 5 million app downloads - 10,000+ active listings at any given time - 30,000+ new listings every month - Facilitated hundreds of thousands of transactions across 150+ locations in Saudi Arabia - Headcount grew +10.3% YoY (90 employees as of latest data) - Expanding into UAE and other MENA markets, and testing new categories (used cars, collectibles) ## Competitive Advantages - **Trust & Safety Moat**: Proprietary fulfillment and payment systems hold funds until the buyer confirms delivery—reducing fraud risk in a high-friction category (used goods). - **Full-Stack Marketplace**: Unlike pure listing platforms, Soum manages pre-approval of listings, logistics, and payment escrow, creating a controlled, consistent user experience. - **AI Integration**: Uses machine learning for recommendations, dynamic pricing, and fraud detection, making the platform smarter and safer as it scales. - **First-Mover in MENA Re-commerce**: Dominant position in Saudi Arabia’s second-hand electronics market with a trusted brand and strong local logistics network. ## Strategic Focus - Geographic expansion across the MENA region, starting with the United Arab Emirates - Category expansion beyond electronics into automobiles and collectibles - Extending return windows (from 24 hours to a week or month) to increase buyer confidence - Scaling the merchant and partner programs to drive B2B revenue - Continued investment in AI/ML to improve personalization, pricing, and fraud detection ## Why Work Here - **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. ## Sources 1. [soum.sa](https://soum.sa) 2. [jobs.lever.co/soum](https://jobs.lever.co/soum) 3. [linkedin.com/company/soum-sa](https://linkedin.com/company/soum-sa) 4. [techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/20/soum-18m-series-a-funding/) 5. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/soum) 6. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/soum) ## Other roles at SOUM - [DevOps Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/devops-engineer-soum-egypt-25pr2k1qbwja) — Egypt - [Data Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/data-engineer-soum-remote-ve4k11gd4ttk) - [Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/recruiter-soum-cairo-zn4e6ze4ztq4) — Cairo - [Product Manager - Data & AI](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-data-ai-soum-remote-ppxqqkh45jnn) - [Consumer Product Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/consumer-product-manager-soum-riyadh-qg1cg7gv51b4) — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - [Operations Manager – Cars](https://feeny.ai/job/operations-manager-cars-soum-riyadh-rbcdgrfqqapw) — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - [B2C Sales Team Lead — Cars](https://feeny.ai/job/b2c-sales-team-lead-cars-soum-remote-nxz70y3ygf06) - [Showroom Accountant](https://feeny.ai/job/showroom-accountant-soum-riyadh-e5bqd6ta03m6) — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - [Commercial Analyst](https://feeny.ai/job/commercial-analyst-soum-cairo-ydm5xxmpxjn3) — Cairo - [Car Inspector](https://feeny.ai/job/car-inspector-soum-riyadh-7ywe6d08nv3a) — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia