Tech Lead - Backend (Golang/PHP) - Xsolla

Job Title: Tech Lead - Backend (Golang/PHP)
Job Location: Shanghai
Job Listing URL: https://jobs.lever.co/xsolla/2cf1f27e-ccb4-46d2-9042-c08f48907d86
Job Description: ABOUT YOU
We are seeking an experienced and passionate Backend Tech Lead to join the Xsolla China technology team. You will lead a team focused on delivering customized integration solutions and technical support for the Chinese market.

Your core responsibilities will be to ensure the team delivers high-quality code efficiently, foster the professional growth of team members, and participate deeply in product architecture discussions and decisions.

This is a leadership role that combines profound technical expertise, team management skills, and product thinking. If you are not only passionate about challenges and technical excellence but also eager to create greater impact by leading and empowering a team, we strongly encourage you to apply.

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.
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
REQUIREMENTS
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).
Candidates without management experience could also be considered.