Tech Lead - Backend Focus

Job description

About You As Tech Lead (Backend Focus), you will play a critical role in strengthening Optiml’s technical foundations as we scale—owning high-leverage backend systems, shaping architecture decisions, and raising the bar across engineering execution. This is a hands-on leadership role: you will operate as a strong individual contributor while mentoring engineers, guiding system design, and driving clarity on what matters most technically. You are expected to be opinionated and outcome-driven—identifying bottlenecks, prioritising effectively, and pushing the team toward pragmatic, scalable solutions. You don’t wait for projects to be defined; you actively scope, challenge, and lead the work that moves the company forward. About Optiml Optiml is transforming real estate with Real Estate Decision Intelligence (REDI), an AI-powered decision technology that helps decarbonize buildings while optimizing asset and portfolio financial performance. Our platform helps investors, owners, and asset managers make clearer capital allocation and decarbonisation decisions by translating complex regulatory, financial, and technical constraints into actionable renovation and investment plans. Founded as an ETH Zurich spin-off, Optiml launched its first product in April 2024 and is now scaling across Europe and the US, with teams based in Zurich, London, and across Germany. The company is backed by leading US and European investors, including Innovation Endeavors (the fund of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt), Planet A Ventures, KOMPAS, BitStone Capital, and The Bau Ventures. Following an oversubscribed €8M Seed round, we are accelerating product development and go-to-market execution. Tasks Key Objectives ✅ Strengthen Optiml’s backend and data architecture by identifying and solving the highest-leverage technical bottlenecks across the platform. ✅ Raise engineering standards and execution velocity by mentoring the team, improving system design practices, and driving clarity on trade-offs. ✅ Build scalable, robust systems that support Optiml’s transition from early-stage product to scale-up infrastructure. ✅ Contribute directly to critical backend systems and data pipelines as a hands-on IC, delivering high-impact technical outcomes. ✅ Shape technical direction and prioritisation by working closely with Product and leadership to align engineering efforts with business impact. Your Responsibilities 1️⃣ Architecture & System Design Leadership Own and evolve backend architecture, ensuring scalability, performance, and maintainability as the product grows Drive system design decisions across data pipelines, services, and infrastructure Simplify complexity and guide the team toward pragmatic, high-leverage solutions 2️⃣ High-Impact Individual Contribution Act as a strong IC contributing directly to core backend systems and data-intensive applications Identify bottlenecks and proactively scope the most impactful technical work Deliver high-quality solutions with speed and strong business alignment 3️⃣ Technical Mentorship & Standards Mentor engineers and elevate overall team capability through reviews, feedback, and hands-on guidance Improve engineering practices across code quality, architecture, and delivery discipline Support the team in making better technical decisions with clear reasoning and trade-offs 4️⃣ Product & Engineering Collaboration Work closely with Product and Design to translate complex problem spaces into scalable technical solutions Develop a strong understanding of real estate and building systems to inform product architecture Operate at the intersection of product and engineering with strong commercial awareness 5️⃣ Scaling Foundations Build systems and processes that support Optiml’s growth from startup to scale-up Contribute to hiring, team shaping, and future technical leadership as the company grows Position yourself to evolve into a broader engineering leadership role over time (e.g. Head of Engineering) Requirements 7+ years of experience designing and building data-intensive backend systems in high-growth environments Strong expertise in system architecture, distributed systems, and performance optimisation Proven track record as a high-impact IC delivering meaningful outcomes in fast-paced teams Experience operating at the intersection of product and engineering, with strong prioritisation skills Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and raise technical standards across a team Strong communication skills—able to clearly explain trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders High ownership mindset: proactively identifies problems and drives solutions without waiting for direction Willingness to work from Zurich HQ on a regular hybrid basis Fluent in English (written and spoken) Benefits 🌍 Impact: Build in a category-defining company at the intersection of real estate, finance, and AI ⚙️ Ownership: Be on of the core members of an innovative team - REDIx - in a fast-growing startup 🚀 Growth: Work directly with founders and shape the commercial trajectory of a fast-scaling company 🏆 Culture: Join a mission-driven, high-performance, and collaborative team. 💡 Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, learning budget (CHF 1k), 25 days holiday, and additional insurance support.