Backend Engineer

Summary

We’re looking for a backend engineer to join HeyCharge and help build the systems powering our globally scalable EV charging platform. You’ll architect and build the systems that bridge digital and physical worlds — connecting chargers, cloud, and user interfaces into one platform. From low-level communication protocols to the APIs that power mobile and web experiences, you’ll help define how HeyCharge operates at global scale — online or offline.

This role sits at the intersection of backend, systems, and product architecture — ideal for engineers who love building elegant, scalable systems that power real-world devices, not just web apps. We’re title-agnostic: come in as a backend engineer, and if your scope and impact warrant it, we’ll calibrate the title accordingly.

About HeyCharge

HeyCharge makes EV charging work in places it was never supposed to — underground garages, multi-tenant buildings, and any other concrete-and-rebar environment where cellular signal goes to die. Our offline-first SecureCharge platform uses Bluetooth for local session authentication and Zigbee mesh for inter-charger load management and cloud sync. No internet required at the charger; no compromise on reliability or billing accuracy.

We’re Munich-headquartered with team members across Germany, Ukraine, and the US, selling into property managers, utilities, and OEMs across Europe, the US, and Latin America. Our partners include Vonovia (Europe’s largest residential landlord), Easee and Emobi. We’re backed by Y Combinator and EU innovation funding, with a culture that’s Google-rooted on engineering, AI-first and automation-first on operations, and allergic to bureaucracy that doesn’t earn its keep.

Responsibilities

• Core backend systems. Architect and implement the services for a distributed, real-world platform connecting thousands of real estate sites, chargers, and users.
• Data and messaging flows. Design the protocols between chargers, apps, and cloud services with resilience and efficiency at the forefront.
• Architectural decisions. Drive the design of APIs, databases, and event pipelines that scale globally — and stay simple enough that the next engineer can extend them.
• Reliability bar. Champion best practices in security, observability, and fault-tolerant design — balancing pragmatism with rigor.
• Cross-functional work. Collaborate with hardware, mobile, and product teams to translate physical interactions into digital experiences.
• Engineering velocity. Set the bar in code reviews, CI/CD, and automation — helping the team move fast without breaking reliability.

Qualifications

• Strong background in TypeScript / NestJS / Node.js.
• Experience with Google Cloud Platform, and especially Firebase.
• Comfort with databases (SQL and NoSQL), event-driven systems, and microservice design.
• Demonstrated track record of designing and delivering complex systems end-to-end.
• Working knowledge of API security, encryption, and authentication patterns.
• Bias toward automation, scalability, and maintainability — production realities, not whiteboard ideals.
• Proven ability to move from architecture to implementation — not just drawing boxes, but making them real.

Bonus Points

• Understanding of IoT messaging protocols (MQTT, WebSockets, BLE) and secure device onboarding.
• You’ve built or scaled systems that connect the physical and digital worlds (IoT, smart home, energy, mobility) — particularly Zigbee- or Bluetooth-based products.
• Thriving in early-stage environments where architecture, automation, and shipping coexist.
• Development with Rust; front-end in Angular.
• Familiarity with EV charging, energy systems, or connected consumer products.
• Deep curiosity about connected products, embedded systems, or real-world user interaction.

Personal Characteristics

• Builder mindset — you create order, structure, and systems that make life easier.
• Ownership mentality — you take responsibility and see things through without being asked twice.
• Automation-first — you instinctively look for ways to remove repetitive work rather than just doing it faster.
• Hands-on and pragmatic — you’d rather solve a problem than write a memo about it; you reach for the keyboard before the slide deck.
• Adaptable — you’re comfortable in a high-growth, ever-changing environment where the right answer this quarter might not be the right answer next quarter.

Closing

If you want to build backend systems that power physical hardware in the real world — not just another web app, and not just another cloud service — we’d love to hear from you. The work is the kind where architecture decisions show up in concrete-and-rebar buildings six months later, and we’re hiring the engineer who’ll make sure those decisions hold up.