Tech Lead, Back-End (Shared Services)

Collectors is the leading creator of innovative technology that provides value-added services for collectors worldwide. We grade, authenticate, vault, and sell millions of record-setting collectibles, all while modernizing and digitalizing the process to further our mission of helping collectors pursue their passions. We’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our growing team.

Our services span collectible coins, trading cards, Funko Pops!, video games, event tickets, autographs, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, SGC, WATA, and Card Ladder.

Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than 1,900 people across our headquarters in Santa Ana and offices in Jersey City, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Toronto, Guadalajara, Dallas, and Paris.

Shared Services: Our Shared Services team is responsible for building modern cloud based applications, integrations (APIs and asynchronous), AI/ML based services, and scalable architectures that power software solutions across the organization. As a member of this team, your day-to-day work will be focused on building new capabilities for all other engineering teams, along with modernizing existing application architectures.

Role Overview:

We’re looking for an Engineering Lead to join our CORE team as a hands-on technical leader who can set the bar for engineering excellence while guiding and inspiring a high-performing team. In this role, you'll build robust and scalable backend systems that support our digital transformation and power the foundation for Collectors' products and services. You'll lead from the front—writing high-quality code, leading talented engineers, driving architectural decisions, and evolving legacy systems into modern, reusable platforms. We’re looking for someone who brings a strong bias for action—able to move work forward with urgency, remove blockers, and accelerate progress without sacrificing quality. Your work will have a broad, company-wide impact, enabling product teams to deliver innovative, value-added experiences for both our collector community and internal stakeholders. 

You will be reporting directly to the Director of Software Engineering, Shared Services. We believe that there is significant value in in-person collaboration. If you live within a 1 hour commuting distance to one of our offices, you will be required to be onsite most of the time. Remote or hybrid candidates will be considered. This will be discussed further as part of the recruiting process.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the design, architecture, and delivery of scalable backend systems that power Collectors’ core platforms

• Deliver high-quality code to production as a player-coach, setting a standard for excellence on the team

• Own and implement complex features end-to-end, from concept through deployment and support

• Mentor engineers and drive a high standard of technical quality through code reviews, architecture discussions, and hands-on guidance

• Modernize legacy systems and improve performance, reliability, and maintainability across Shared Services

• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, infrastructure, and engineering teams to align on goals and deliver impactful solutions

What We’re Looking For:

• 12+ years of software engineering experience building production-grade applications

• 7+ years of experience with Java. Python experience is a plus!

• 3+ years of experience in leading or managing Engineering teams.

• Strong grasp of object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, and design patterns

• Experience designing and building scalable APIs (REST, GraphQL, gRPC) and modular, extensible architectures

• Hands-on experience with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., MSSQL, PostgreSQL, DynamoDB)

• 3+ years of experience with AWS cloud services (e.g., Lambda, RDS, S3, DynamoDB, MSK, SNS, SQS) and infrastructure tools like Terraform and Docker

• Familiar with messaging and event-driven platforms like Kafka for real-time systems

• Experience with AI-powered developer tools such as GitHub Copilot and Claude (Anthropic) to improve productivity and code quality

• Strong troubleshooting, communication, and documentation skills, with a bias for secure, observable, and maintainable solutions

• Comfortable working in Agile/Scrum environments with cross-functional teams

Salary Range: The salary range for this position is $159,469 - $258,903. Actual compensation on this range varies based on a variety of non-discriminatory factors, including location, job level, prior experience, and skill set. This role may be eligible for bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation, please ask your recruiter for details.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

Collectors uses e-Verify to validate your ability to work legally in the United States.

We are aware that there are instances where individuals are receiving job offers that fraudulently allege to be from Collectors or one of our business units. This type of fraud can be carried out through false websites, through fake e-mails claiming to be from the company or through social media. We never ask for personal information such as your bank account, Social Security numbers or National IDs, nor do we send or request payments for the purchase of business-related equipment. If you suspect fraud, please reach out to jobs@collectors.com.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We believe that a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills will better service the diverse community of collectors we support.

If you require an accommodation to apply or interview with us due to a disability or special need, please email people@collectors.com.

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If you are based in California, you can read information for California residents here.