Key Skills

Job Description

Peak load is where most systems fall over. It's where ours starts. We build for mission critical live events — millions of people, worldwide arriving in the same second, with no second take. At the core of our proprietary technology infrastructure is Based, our graph database serves millions of concurrent users and processes billions of data points in real time. It's built and run by a team small enough to sit around one table. That's the whole bet. Most companies scale by adding people. We've spent years proving we can outperform teams ten times the size with a handful of exceptional engineers and technology that's genuinely better than the alternatives. It works, and we're growing it. About the role Everyone here is a technical expert. That's the price of entry. What we're missing is someone who raises the level we all work at. You'll be on ventures daily: building, reviewing, and shipping alongside the team. Everything the team ships is better because you're there. That's the job in one line. You drive and continually improve the technical bar and our quality. You lead what good looks like here, you hold it, and you're accountable for it. You won't be anyone's line manager, and you won't be running performance reviews. Your influence comes from the code you write, the reviews you give, and the bar you hold. Which is the kind that actually changes how people work. If you've led a team and found yourself missing the code, running one-to-ones about someone else's architecture decisions instead of making them, this is the role that gives it back without giving up the scope. What you will work on Some ventures we build and maintain. Eurovision Song Contest (yearly since 2021) AirHub Drone Operations CrowdBuilding Sustainable Housing Tally (live interactions: Wacken Open Air Festival, Kika) Different domains, same foundations: Real-time at scale. Millions of concurrent connections, producing live data, all delivered via WebSockets. Peak performance is our main design consideration. Horizontal scaling that actually works. Genuine distributed system working on a global scale and perfect balance for performant applications to leverage the compute and data most effectively. Our graph database. It's ours, it's fast, and it's the core of the product. Schema and queries that will lead to project success or failure. Full stack, genuinely. TypeScript and React on the front, TypeScript on the back. You'll move between them constantly and be strong at both. Data and analytics. Instrumentation, web analytics, and turning what the system tells us into decisions about what we build next. What you will bring You have a proven history of raising the standard without being directed, a clear view of what good looks like, and the ability to bring other people to it rather than just doing it yourself. Complete applications you've built and shipped: client and server, architected by you, running in production with many real users on them. Deep TypeScript and React. Years of it, at a level where you have opinions and enjoy defending them. Real distributed systems experience: horizontal scaling, WebSockets, real-time data and integrations, and engaged global audience. You've been on call for something that had to stay up. Graph databases and schemas that evolve. You've modelled a domain as a graph, watched the requirements shift underneath it, and know the difference between a schema that bends and one that should be rebuilt. Time spent leading: as an Engineering Manager, Director, or the person a team actually followed. You've carried accountability for a team's output and you know what it costs. A track record of making other engineers better, and enjoying that more than managing them. We test this properly. The craft session is two hours of real work on a real problem, and for people with genuine depth it's usually the part of the process they enjoy most. What makes this rare Nobody here sets the standard for you. It goes as high as the person doing the work is willing to take it, and you won't need permission first. A small team means a short distance between a decision you make and millions of people hitting it. You'll see the consequences of your architecture in days, not quarters, including the ones you'd rather not. We retro, we define what good looks like, and we hold ourselves to it: on-time delivery, fewer critical bugs per release, review and tests complete before we ship. That's the floor. Moving it is yours. The person who'll love this You've led a team and missed the code. You have views on architecture and you like being challenged on them. You'd rather make someone better at their craft than manage their calendar. You spot something broken and fix it rather than raising a ticket about it. And you say "I don't know, here's how I'd find out" easily because you're secure about what you do know. What we offer Low ceremony, high standards, clear ownership, grown-up/direct communication. Informal professionals, which doesn't mean casual. There aren't many rituals, but people do what they say they'll do. We're direct with each other: problems get raised early and we work together to resolve them. We'd rather someone challenge a decision immediately, providing an alternative. Hybrid model with 4 office days in Amsterdam International team and customers Competitive salary based on what you bring Transparent share of profit program Dedicated time and feedback to focus on your growth goals Optional annual team building trips How we hire We aim for a month from first conversation to offer. We move fast because slow processes are disrespectful of your time. Intro chat, 30 minutes The role honestly. Expectations up front so neither of us wastes time. Team conversation, 45 minutes Two people you'd work with. Craft session, 2 hours A real problem we've actually faced. You'll work on it with us in the room, then talk us through your thinking we care more about how you got there than how far you got. We'll tell you what we thought of your work before you leave. Conversation with at least two leaders, 60 minutes Scope, your questions at length. Decision within a week You'll always know where you stand and when you'll hear back. Everyone who reaches the craft session gets real feedback, whatever the outcome. Ready to apply? Tell us why this role is yours, and send your CV alongside anything you've worked on that you're proud of.

Core Responsibilities

Drive and improve the technical bar and quality of the codebase through active building, reviewing, and shipping. Lead the architectural direction for real-time, high-scale distributed systems and graph database schemas.

Requirements

Requires deep expertise in TypeScript, React, and distributed systems with a proven track record of shipping production-ready applications. Must have previous leadership experience as an Engineering Manager or Director while maintaining a strong desire to remain hands-on with code.

Benefits

• Transparent share of profit program
• Dedicated time and feedback for growth goals
• Optional annual team building trips
• Competitive salary