Lead Node/React Engineer

This is a contract position for a Lead Node/React Engineer located in Livingston, New Jersey. The role is available for a minimum of six months.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable backend services and APIs using Node.js and JavaScript/TypeScript, along with modern React applications.
• Architect and build new applications and services with an emphasis on scalability, availability, reliability, and performance.
• Develop and integrate REST, GraphQL, and microservices-based APIs.
• Work across SQL and NoSQL/distributed databases, including performance analysis and optimization.
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments, and containerized environments using Docker and tools such as Jenkins.
• Implement application monitoring, logging, alerting, and observability capabilities.
• Troubleshoot production issues, identify root causes, and implement sustainable solutions.
• Develop automated tests and promote TDD, code quality, maintainability, and modern engineering practices.
• Participate in code reviews, technical design discussions, and architectural decisions.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, QA, and other technical teams throughout the development lifecycle.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to other engineers while communicating technical risks, dependencies, and delivery status to leadership.

Qualifications

• Required
  • 10+ years of professional software development experience.
  • Strong hands-on experience with Node.js and modern JavaScript/TypeScript.
  • Solid React development experience.
  • Proven ability to design and develop highly scalable, available, and high-performance applications.
  • Strong understanding of APIs, distributed systems, backend architecture, and software design principles.
  • Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, automated testing, and TDD.
  • Hands-on experience with CI/CD, DevOps practices, Docker, and Jenkins or comparable tools.
  • Strong troubleshooting and application/database performance optimization skills.
  • Ability to provide technical leadership while remaining highly hands-on in a collaborative engineering environment.
• Preferred
  • Experience with GraphQL, microservices, cloud-native development, and observability.
  • Additional programming experience with Java, Python, Go, or C#.
  • Background in DevOps/platform engineering or build engineering.
  • Experience establishing architecture and engineering standards for new products.
  • Prior experience mentoring engineers or serving in a technical leadership capacity.