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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Node Engineer

💰 $110,000 - $185,000

EngineeringBackend DevelopmentSoftware Development

🎯 Role Definition

A Node Engineer is a specialized backend developer who architects, builds, and maintains the server-side logic of web applications. They are experts in leveraging the Node.js runtime environment to create fast, scalable, and event-driven network applications. This role is pivotal in developing and managing the APIs, data services, and microservices that form the backbone of modern digital products. They are responsible for ensuring high performance and responsiveness to requests from the front-end, managing data exchange between users and servers, and implementing robust security and data protection measures. The Node Engineer is a key contributor to the entire development lifecycle, from conception and design through to deployment and maintenance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Software Engineer
  • Full Stack Developer
  • Backend Developer (with experience in other languages like Python, Java, or Ruby)

Advancement To:

  • Senior Node Engineer / Principal Engineer
  • Backend Engineering Lead / Manager
  • Solutions Architect / Cloud Architect

Lateral Moves:

  • DevOps Engineer
  • Full Stack Engineer
  • Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, develop, and maintain robust, scalable, and secure server-side applications and RESTful/GraphQL APIs using Node.js and its associated frameworks like Express.js, NestJS, or Koa.
  • Write clean, efficient, and well-documented code that adheres to industry best practices and internal coding standards, ensuring long-term maintainability and readability.
  • Architect and implement complex microservices-based systems, ensuring seamless communication, data consistency, and fault tolerance between services.
  • Integrate server-side logic with various data storage solutions, including relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Redis, DynamoDB).
  • Develop and execute comprehensive unit, integration, and end-to-end tests using frameworks like Jest, Mocha, or Chai to ensure application quality, reliability, and performance.
  • Optimize applications for maximum speed, scalability, and resource efficiency, including identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks and memory leaks.
  • Implement robust security measures and data protection protocols, including authentication, authorization, and encryption, to safeguard sensitive information against cyber threats.
  • Collaborate closely with front-end developers to define API contracts and facilitate the seamless integration of user-facing elements with server-side logic.
  • Containerize applications using Docker and manage deployments on cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or Azure, utilizing services like ECS, EKS, or App Engine.
  • Configure and manage CI/CD pipelines to automate the build, testing, and deployment processes, enabling rapid and reliable software delivery.
  • Actively participate in peer code reviews to provide and receive constructive feedback, enforce quality standards, and share knowledge across the engineering team.
  • Troubleshoot, debug, and upgrade existing software, providing effective and timely resolutions to production issues and system failures.
  • Design and manage data schemas and models that are performant, scalable, and accurately represent the business domain.
  • Implement and manage event-driven architectures using message brokers like RabbitMQ, Kafka, or cloud-native solutions like AWS SQS/SNS.
  • Monitor application performance, availability, and security in production environments, using tools like Datadog, New Relic, or Prometheus to proactively identify and address issues.
  • Translate complex business requirements and user stories into detailed technical specifications and functional software components.
  • Stay current with emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices in Node.js development, backend engineering, and cloud computing.
  • Mentor junior engineers, providing guidance on technical challenges, coding practices, and career development within the organization.
  • Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for APIs, system architecture, and operational procedures to support internal teams and stakeholders.
  • Evaluate and recommend new tools, technologies, and processes to enhance developer productivity and improve the overall quality of our software products.
  • Manage and optimize asynchronous operations and non-blocking I/O to handle high-concurrency workloads efficiently.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and overall technical roadmap.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management and design, to translate business needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning, retrospectives, and other agile ceremonies within the development team.
  • Contribute to architectural discussions and decisions that shape the future of the technology stack.
  • Engage in proof-of-concept projects to explore new technologies and validate their potential for adoption.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Node.js Expertise: Deep understanding of the Node.js runtime, its asynchronous nature, event loop, and core APIs.
  • Backend Frameworks: Proficiency with server-side frameworks such as Express.js, NestJS, Koa.js, or Fastify.
  • Programming Languages: Strong proficiency in JavaScript and, increasingly, TypeScript for building scalable and maintainable applications.
  • Database Management: Experience with both SQL (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Redis, DynamoDB) databases, including schema design and query optimization.
  • API Design: Expertise in designing, building, and documenting RESTful or GraphQL APIs.
  • Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with at least one major cloud provider (AWS, GCP, Azure), including serverless functions, container orchestration, and database services.
  • Containerization & Orchestration: Proficiency with Docker for containerizing applications and experience with Kubernetes or similar orchestration tools (e.g., AWS ECS).
  • Testing Frameworks: Experience with automated testing tools like Jest, Mocha, Chai, and Supertest to ensure code quality.
  • Version Control: Mastery of Git and collaborative workflows (e.g., GitFlow, GitHub Flow).
  • CI/CD & DevOps: Familiarity with continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or CircleCI.
  • Authentication/Authorization: Knowledge of implementing security protocols like OAuth 2.0, JWT (JSON Web Tokens), and OpenID Connect.

Soft Skills

  • Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues.
  • Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: A collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
  • Ownership & Accountability: A proactive attitude with a strong sense of ownership over projects and system performance.
  • Adaptability: Ability to learn quickly and adapt to new technologies and changing business requirements.
  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous attention to detail in code, documentation, and testing.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in a technical field. A strong portfolio of projects or significant open-source contributions can often substitute for a formal degree.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology
  • Software Engineering
  • Mathematics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-7 years of professional experience in backend software development, with a significant portion focused on the Node.js ecosystem.

Preferred: Experience working in an agile development environment and a proven track record of shipping and maintaining high-quality, scalable backend services in a cloud environment.

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