Senior Backend Web Developer

Folklore is an innovation and experience company that provides digital transformation solutions to companies seeking to offer best practices digital experiences to its customers and internal stakeholders. Folklore is chosen by clients when results matter most—becoming the agent of change and driving transformation that combines business strategy, users needs, branding and technology. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Folklore is a team of veteran designers, technologists, researchers and strategists that have deep expertise across a variety of industries, including retail manufacturing, finance, healthcare and services.

Job Overview :

Folklore is seeking a talented and motivated developer with 10+ years of backend web development experience who can also function as a technical lead on projects. This individual will have a proven track record that demonstrates a strong understanding of backend architecture to include server management, API development, CMS development, and 3rd-party integrations. They will also have the ability to guide a project’s technical direction, coordinate development workflows, and help capture technical requirements with clients.

Key Responsibilities :

Serve as the technical lead on assigned projects, owning backend architecture, technical decisions, and overall solution design.

Translate business requirements into technical requirements, architectural diagrams, and development tasks.

Proactively identify technical risks and propose mitigation strategies before they impact timeline or quality.

Serve as the subject matter expert on the project’s backend solution, answering questions around architecture, integrations, and technology decisions.

Develop or extend existing CMS frameworks (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, Craft).

Work with front-end developers to ensure seamless CMS integration for dynamic content delivery.

Work with front-end developers, designers, and project managers to deliver complete solutions and ensure all technical requirements are met.

Configure, maintain, and optimize server environments for development as well as production facing websites.

Monitor server performance, handle troubleshooting, and scale server architecture as necessary.

Design, develop, and maintain custom API implementations for internal and external services.

Integrate third-party APIs to extend the functionality of existing platforms.

Implement custom CMS based plugins or extend existing CMS functionality depending on the project needs.

Design, develop, and optimize relational (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB) and non-relational (e.g., MongoDB) databases.

Ensure database security, backup, and disaster recovery requirements are met.

Troubleshoot and debug back-end issues and optimize application performance.

Participate in code reviews and contribute to best coding practices.

Qualifications :

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

Proven experience as a Backend Web Developer or similar role.

Excellent communication skills, especially around articulating technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders.

Ability to manage technical complexity and lead development delivery across multiple contributors.

Demonstrated ability to function as a technical lead or senior engineer overseeing end-to-end delivery

Proven experience with multiple and varying technology stacks and a never ending desire to expand and dive into the unknown.

Strong understanding of middleware solutions and their appropriate applications.

Strong proficiency in server-side languages such as PHP, Node.js, C# and Java.

Experience with server management tools and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure).

Expertise in building and consuming RESTful / GraphQL / RPC / OData APIs.

Experience with popular CMS platforms (WordPress, Drupal, Craft, etc.).

Strong knowledge of relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Redis).

Understanding of web security best practices (SSL, encryption, authentication methods).

Proficiency with GIT version control.

Experience with DevOps tools and CI / CD pipelines.

Strong desire to learn new technologies and platforms to best serve project requirements.

Benefits and perks :

Health Benefits : 100% paid medical premiums for employees, 50% paid for dependents

Optional employee-paid vision and dental plans

Vacation : flexible PTO pending manager approval and responsible usage

80 hours of Sick and Safe Time

401k + 3% guaranteed employer contribution : eligible after 3 months of employment

Paid parental leave

Summer Fridays (½ day Fridays between Memorial and Labor Day)

Folklore is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

The pay range for this role is : 135,000 - 155,000 USD per year (St. Louis Park)

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