--- title: 'Tech Lead - Backend (Golang/PHP) at Xsolla' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/tech-lead-backend-golang-php-xsolla-shanghai-h9mdp45k8z54' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Tech Lead - Backend (Golang/PHP) at Xsolla - **Company:** Xsolla - **Location:** Shanghai, China - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2025-12-22 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/xsolla/2cf1f27e-ccb4-46d2-9042-c08f48907d86 ## Job description ## ABOUT US Xsolla is a global commerce company with robust tools and services to help developers solve the inherent challenges of the video game industry. From indie to AAA, companies partner with Xsolla to help them fund, distribute, market, and monetize their games. Grounded in the belief in the future of video games, Xsolla is resolute in the mission to bring opportunities together, and continually make new resources available to creators. Headquartered and incorporated in Los Angeles, California, Xsolla operates as the merchant of record and has helped over 1,500+ game developers to reach more players and grow their businesses around the world. With more paths to profits and ways to win, developers have all the things needed to enjoy the game. For more information, visit xsolla.com. ## ABOUT YOU We are looking for a Backend Tech Lead who is passionate about challenges, technically excellent, and eager to create greater impact by leading and empowering a team to join our Xsolla China technology team. The best candidate will be someone who thrives in a fast-paced, highly collaborative, and exceptionally dynamic setting and is excited to lead a team focused on delivering customized integration solutions and technical support for the Chinese market, while participating deeply in product architecture discussions and decisions. Strong programming skills and solid computer science fundamentals are essential, along with experience in designing and developing highly available, scalable, large-scale distributed systems, with deep expertise in middleware such as message queues, Elasticsearch, Redis, and MySQL. The ability to lead and mentor team members, foster their professional growth, and ensure the team delivers high-quality code efficiently will be key to your success in this role. If you’re passionate about driving innovation and delivering tailored solutions for the gaming industry in China and love combining profound technical expertise with team management and product thinking to create meaningful impact, we would love to hear from you! ## RESPONSIBILITIES - Technical Leadership & Architecture - Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of backend technical solutions for China-specific customized projects, continuously improving service performance and stability. - Define future technology stacks and development architecture for the team, and participate in architectural solution discussions at the department level. - Possess deep understanding and practical experience in designing and developing highly available, scalable, large-scale distributed systems. Expertise in the principles and optimization of middleware such as message queues, Elasticsearch, Redis, and MySQL. - Development Process & Project Management - Set team goals, plan development processes, and provide accurate estimations for task implementation. - Organize and facilitate daily team rituals (stand-ups, reviews, retrospectives). - Establish and improve product quality assurance (QA) processes, and participate in testing and delivery phases. - ## Team Building & Talent Development - Be responsible for building the technical team (including recruitment, onboarding, and retention). - Identify team members' strengths and weaknesses, and support their professional growth through coaching, knowledge sharing, and fostering a mentorship culture. - Create and update team competency maps, and plan individual development tracks for members. - Build a culture of collective responsibility for commitments, as well as trust, innovation, and mutual support within the team. - Business & Collaboration - Participate in research and discussions on products in domains like gaming payments, driving their localization and promotion in the Chinese market. - Possess excellent teamwork and communication skills, enabling effective collaboration with technical, product, and business partners. 5.Other Need - Game industry experience required - On-site position only (remote work not available) ## Qualifications and Skills Must-have: - Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or a related field. - 5+ years of backend development experience, with at least 1 year in a tech lead, team lead, or core architect role. - Strong programming skills and solid computer science fundamentals, with proficiency in data structures and design patterns. Must be skilled in Golang or PHP and their mainstream frameworks. - Hands-on experience in designing and developing large-scale distributed systems, with deep insight into system performance bottlenecks and optimization. - Excellent communication skills, a strong sense of responsibility, and clear logical thinking for complex problem-solving. - Fluent English (B2+ level), capable of seamless communication in an international team environment. - Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, with strong self-motivation and resilience. ## Nice to Have - Experience working in Agile/Kanban environments. Familiarity with large-scale agile frameworks like SAFe is a plus. - Understanding of frontend technology stacks (e.g., React ecosystem) or full-stack development experience. - Experience building and optimizing CI/CD pipelines and automated testing (e.g., Playwright, Cypress). - Solid understanding of caching, networking, load balancers, and CDNs. - Familiarity with key-value or document databases (e.g., Redis, MongoDB). Note: Candidates without management experience could also be considered. Job Description This job description is intended to outline the general nature and level of work currently performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications required. Privacy Notice & Data Processing Consent By submitting your application and uploading your resume/CV, you acknowledge and agree that Xsolla will process your personal information (including but not limited to your name, contact details, work experience, and educational background) for the purpose of recruitment, candidate evaluation, and internal record-keeping. In accordance with the Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China (PIPL): Purpose Limitation: Your data will only be used for current and future recruitment considerations within Xsolla. Sensitivity: We will handle your personal information with a high duty of care. Your Rights: You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information, and to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. If your application proceeds past the final interview stage, we may conduct a background check, subject to applicable laws and regulations, only after obtaining your separate written consent. Any such check will be strictly limited to information directly relevant to the employment relationship (e.g., educational background, employment history) and will comply fully with the PIPL. Your personal information will be used solely for recruitment and human resource management purposes, and we will implement rigorous security measures to protect your data. Xsolla takes your privacy rights seriously. We are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with Chinese data protection laws and will not sell, unlawfully provide, or disclose any personal data received during the hiring process without your explicit authorization. As a data processor, we uphold our obligations to safeguard your personal data and respect your privacy. For any inquiries related to data privacy, please contact: careers@xsolla.com Explore more opportunities at: https://xsolla.com/careers ## About Xsolla ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Xsolla is a global commerce and financial technology company that provides a comprehensive suite of tools and services for video game developers and publishers, including payments, distribution, marketing, and monetization solutions. - **Entity Type**: Private (Privately Held) - **Headquarters**: Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles), California, United States - **Founded**: 2005 - **Founders**: Aleksandr Agapitov (Founder & CEO) ## Core Business - **Industries**: Video game commerce, financial technology, payment processing, distribution, and capital markets for interactive entertainment. - **Target Customers**: B2B – game developers and publishers of all sizes, from indie studios to AAA enterprises. - **Mission**: "We bring opportunities together for the video game industry" – helping creators fund, launch, distribute, and monetize games globally. ## Products & Services - **Xsolla Payment Solutions**: Global payment orchestration supporting 1000+ payment methods, 130+ currencies, and 200+ geographies. Operates as the merchant of record. - **Xsolla Web Shop**: White-label direct-to-consumer storefronts that allow developers to sell games and in-game items with higher margins. - **Xsolla Launcher & Distribution**: Cross-platform game distribution tools and launcher solutions for PC and mobile. - **Xsolla Partnership Network**: Marketing and audience acquisition services. - **Xsolla Capital Markets Group (CMG)**: Institutional capital platform providing debt, credit, and special situations financing for game studios, supported by proprietary market intelligence and an LP/investor network. - **Xsolla Storefront** (in development): White-label Android game store designed for large-file distribution, download management, and multi-tenant theming. - **Xsolla Anti-Fraud & Compliance**: Risk management and compliance tools tailored to digital gaming transactions. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly available. - **Annual Revenue**: ~$100 million (source: LinkedIn data). - **Total Funding**: Not disclosed (private, bootstrapped/growth equity?). - **Notable Partners & Clients**: Valve, Twitch, Epic Games, PUBG Corporation, and thousands of other game developers (1,500+ mentioned on careers page). - **Growth Signals**: - 1,079 full-time employees (as of 2025; up ~22% YoY based on earlier LinkedIn data). - 16 global offices across Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Beijing, and more. - 3,000+ direct-to-consumer web shops launched. - 258,343,632 Pay Station visits in 2024. - 180.5 million average daily developer API calls. - 99.98% platform uptime over the past 12 months. - Active expansion of Capital Markets Group with hires in New York, Middle East, and Singapore. ## Competitive Advantages - **Exclusive video game focus** – All products and services are built specifically for the games industry, unlike generic payment processors. - **Global merchant of record** – Handles tax, compliance, and fraud in 200+ territories, reducing friction for developers. - **Relationships with major platforms** – Deep integrations with Steam, Twitch, Epic Games Store, etc. - **Scale and reliability** – Proven ability to handle hundreds of millions of transactions annually with near-perfect uptime. - **Capital and investment arm** – Unique ability to provide financing to studios, creating stickiness and aligning incentives. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling the **Capital Markets Group** as an independent institutional platform serving the interactive entertainment ecosystem (debt, special situations, principal investments). - Building a **white-label Android game store** to capture mobile distribution and compete with traditional app stores. - Deepening **AI integration** across QA, testing, and hiring processes (Director of QA role explicitly mentions AI-assisted testing; AI used in recruitment). - Expanding presence in high-growth markets: **Japan** (CMO/VP Marketing role), Middle East, and Southeast Asia. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: "We build from the inside out" – competitive salary, flexible time off, hybrid/remote options, health insurance, retirement programs, family leave, generous in-office amenities, disability and life insurance. - **Work Model**: Hybrid and remote available across global offices. - **Engineering Culture**: High ownership, modern stack (Android/Kotlin, large-file distribution, multi-tenant theming, CI/CD, cloud infrastructure). Engineers work on greenfield projects like the white-label game store. - **Growth Opportunities**: New hires in the Capital Markets group have "executive sponsorship, meaningful ownership, and the mandate to build a durable franchise." Rapidly scaling company with expanding teams. - **Global, diverse team**: Employees from 52+ countries; offices in 12 countries. ## Sources 1. [Xsolla Careers](https://xsolla.com/careers) 2. [LinkedIn – Xsolla Company Profile](https://linkedin.com/company/xsolla) 3. [Xsolla About Us](https://xsolla.com/about-us) 4. [Xsolla Culture & Values](https://xsolla.com/our-culture-and-values) 5. 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