Principal Node.js Engineer

About the Position

Join our platform team as Principal Node.js Engineer!

At Twin Harbour Interactive we strive to develop high-quality strategy games and make them accessible for all players around the world. In our eyes game development is a promise for fun and entertainment – that’s what we live and aim for!

Innovation is part of our DNA. We actively integrate Artificial Intelligence to reduce repetitive tasks and create space for what really matters: strategic thinking and human connection. We don't just use AI - we look for people who can shape the way we work with it.

Our staff is multicultural and international. We have flat hierarchies, open communication culture, and support the autonomous work of our agile working teams. We believe in efficient work where each of our employees contributes to the success of our games.

As a Principal Node.js Engineer, you will have a pivotal role in the extension and improvement of our backend services. You bring the expertise needed to ensure the development of stable, performant, scalable, secure, and maintainable code. You will work towards improving our development workflows and best practices. You will help with the coordination with product teams and technical leads, and will work side by side with the product manager to decide priorities and the long term technical strategy of the team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the transformation of our core PHP monolithic backend into a secure, performant, and well-architected set of decoupled services.
• Drive architectural decisions for new services.
• Promote and implement security, testing, and development best practices.
• Contribute high-quality and maintainable TypeScript code using the NestJS framework.
• Work with a variety of tools and technologies including Sentry, Datadog, Sonar, Docker, Kubernetes, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, Memcache, and Pub/Sub.
• Take ownership of important tech KPIs to ensure a smooth development process.
• Work closely with the Head of Platform shaping the technical vision and project roadmap.
• Collaborate with our quality engineers to fully integrate them into our development process.
• Lead integration of new APIs, payment systems, and data tracking.
• Mentor and guide developers on your team.
• Drive technical discussions and be responsible for technical decisions when team-wide consensus is not reached.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of professional experience in TypeScript/Node.js development.
• Proven experience in software service architecture methodologies (i.e., DDD) and in PHP 7/8 and PHP frameworks in the context of understanding legacy codebases.
• Experienced with unit/integration/end-to-end testing and modern Node.js frameworks.
• Good understanding of relational databases and containers.
• Experience working on multi-server, high-load Node.js applications and APIs; and experience working with cloud technologies (i.e., GCP).
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, and able to write easy-to-understand, well-structured, and maintainable code using design patterns appropriately.
• Ability to quickly get familiar with complex code bases.
• Interest in and some experience augmenting your work with AI tools (i.e., Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini).
• Ability to understand business needs and translate them into technical requirements.
• Experienced coach and mentor. Ability to facilitate technical discussions within and outside the team.
• Practiced agile methodologies, specifically Kanban.
• Enthusiastic about games and enjoy working in an interdisciplinary team. Having past game development experience is a plus.
• Fluent in technical and business English.
• Interest in learning outside of the box and also taking over full-stack development tasks.

Nice to Have

• AI tools
• DDD
• PHP
• Cloud technologies
• Agile

We Offer

• A global team with a shared purpose.
• Flexible hybrid work models.
• Opportunities to grow with the company.
• A human-first approach with a focus on trust, respect, and good humor.
• Fun team activities and events.

About the Company

Twin Harbour Interactive is a global strategy game powerhouse, shaping the future of long-term multiplayer gaming. With offices in Hamburg and Malta, we design strategy games that bring people together – across borders and generations.

Whether you’re an expert tactician or an imaginative world-builder, there’s a place here for you to grow, thrive, and leave your mark.

Join Twin Harbour Interactive – where strategy meets vision.