Description:

Gathern is a leading platform in the alternative hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia, enabling travelers to explore the country through authentic stays hosted by local residents.
The company is backed by SAR 270 million Series B funding and is valued at over SAR 1 billion, preparing for a future Tadawul listing.
Gathern has over 5 million users, guests from 150+ nationalities, a network of 72,000+ hospitality units, and has paid more than SAR 2 billion to 33,000+ Saudi hosts.
The company is seeking a seasoned Backend Engineer with expertise in PHP and a strong track record in leading complex, scalable system architectures.
Key responsibilities include architecting and designing complex systems, building and maintaining core backend services, optimizing performance, ensuring security and compliance, mentoring team members, conducting code reviews, collaborating with cross-functional teams, managing databases, implementing testing strategies, leading incident management, and staying current with industry trends.

Requirements:

A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience is required.
Candidates must have 5+ years of professional experience in backend development with proven leadership on complex projects.
Expert proficiency in PHP backend programming language and frameworks is essential.
Proficiency in additional backend programming languages such as Python, Go, or Node.js is a significant plus.
A deep understanding of scalable system architecture, design patterns, and microservices principles is necessary.
Extensive experience with database design, optimization, and management (both SQL and NoSQL) is required.
Proven ability to design and implement robust, secure APIs (RESTful, GraphQL) and handle third-party integrations is needed.
Strong knowledge of cloud services (AWS or GCP), containerization (Docker), and orchestration (Kubernetes) is important.
Familiarity with security best practices, data protection, authentication, and authorization mechanisms is required.
Experience with version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and DevOps practices is necessary.

The position offers a USD salary with stable, competitive compensation regardless of currency fluctuations.
Comprehensive medical insurance is provided to support employee wellbeing.
The role allows for fully remote work with flexible hours, enabling employees to build their routine in a way that suits them.
There are opportunities for fast career growth in a company that is scaling rapidly across Saudi Arabia and the region.

Skills

Benefits