Staff Backend Engineer, PHP + Go - 100% Remote (Europe Based)

NOTE: This is a FULLY remote role. Candidates must be physically based within the European region to collaborate effectively with the team, peers, and internal customers. Location within a specific country or city is flexible, but European residency is mandatory.

Hostaway is the market-leading SaaS scale-up transforming the vacation rental industry. We provide innovative solutions and maintain critical partnerships with industry giants like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking. As a profitable and growing company, this role supports our continued expansion, following a recent funding round of $365 million.

About the Role: Staff Backend Engineer, Core Team

Hostaway is seeking a highly motivated Staff Backend Engineer to join the Core team. This team manages integrations with our key partners (Online Travel Agencies), which are critical for powering seamless connectivity between customer properties and major booking platforms. If you have experience handling huge volumes and interacting with complex APIs, you are an ideal candidate.

Staff Engineers govern the technical maturity of their domain, identifying architectural challenges and planning remediation over time. You will partner closely with the domain’s Product Manager (PM). While the PM defines the 'what,' you are responsible for defining the 'how,' ensuring technical solutions align with business problems. You will be supported by an Engineering Manager who coordinates day-to-day work and ensures sustainable delivery pace. Together, you will break down complex projects and drive continuous improvement in engineering practices.

Required Skills & Experience

• 6+ years of experience in SaaS software development, including at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Expert-level proficiency in any backend language/platform, with a strong willingness to specialize in PHP + Go, our primary domain languages.
• Strong understanding of relational databases (e.g., MySQL or PostgreSQL).
• Familiarity with transitioning event-driven service oriented architectures using Domain Driven Design (DDD) principles.
• Experience in designing and developing RESTful web APIs.
• Strong experience writing Unit Tests and Integration Tests (e.g., jest or similar).
• Experience working in a Cloud environment (AWS is a plus).
• Experience with message queues (e.g., AWS SQS) is a plus.
• English language level C1.

Nice to Have Skills

• Experience with NoSQL databases (e.g., DynamoDB or MongoDB).
• Experience building cloud native apps, leveraging AWS managed services.
• Prior PHP experience or willingness to dive into existing PHP business logic.
• Applying, coaching, and mentoring Extreme Programming (XP) agile practices.
• Front-end experience with React and micro-frontends.
• Knowledge of containerisation technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and DevSecOps practices.

An Average Day for a Staff Engineer

• Quick team stand-up, offering to pair with a team member on a known problem.
• Pairing with a team member to address complex scalability issues.
• Leading a design session with the Product Manager and UX designer for upcoming features, focusing on drilling down to the core problem and suggesting efficient solutions.
• Investigating system areas affected by new designs, identifying technical debt impacting scalability/reliability, creating a Jira ticket, and coordinating prioritization with the PM and other domain tech leads.
• Catching up with the Engineering Manager regarding delivery reliability, WIP, and minimizing Pull Request (PR) review time.
• Reviewing team PRs, providing feedback, and jumping on a quick call with junior engineers to explain issues like lack of unit tests or difficult-to-maintain code.

What We Offer

• Competitive Compensation: Pay based on market rates in the applicant's country.
• 100% Remote Work: Freedom to work from anywhere within your country of residence (co-working space, home office, etc.).
• Equity: Valuable stock options provided to ensure shared success in our fast-growing, profitable company.
• Values-Driven Leadership: Core Values are leveraged daily in strategic and tactical decision-making.
• Professional Growth: Unparalleled learning, development, and career advancement opportunities due to rapid company growth.
• Annual Paid Leave: Amounts vary by country, aligned with local norms.
• Geographic Specific Benefits: Country-specific perks like Health Insurance and Pensions where customary.
• Dynamic Team Culture: Diverse, international culture with team members in over 40 countries, fueling innovation and creativity.