API Backend Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Design and build RESTful APIs: Implement new endpoints and evolve existing ones across auth, posts, comments, notifications, messaging, and social-graph domains using Node.js, Express, and TypeScript.
• Model and migrate data: Design relational schemas in PostgreSQL via Prisma ORM, write and review migrations, and optimise queries (cursor-based pagination, composite indexes, cascading deletes).
• Integrate third-party services: Work with Twilio (SMS/OTP), Azure Blob Storage (media uploads with SAS-signed URLs), Azure AI/Claude (AI content classification), Microsoft Graph (transactional email), and identity verification providers (Dojah / QoreID for NIN/KYC).
• Implement authentication & security: Maintain a multi-strategy auth system spanning phone-number OTP, email/password, Apple Sign-In, and Google Sign-In, with JWT access/refresh token rotation, rate limiting (express-rate-limit), and security headers (helmet).
• Build content moderation pipelines: Extend the AI-powered Post Integrity engine that classifies user-generated content and enforces publish/review/override workflows in real time.
  
• Write and maintain tests: Add unit tests (Jest, SuperTest) and Postman collections; maintain code quality via ESLint, TypeScript strict mode, and automated CI checks.
• Ship via CI/CD: Work within the Azure DevOps Pipelines workflow: lint → type-check → security audit → deploy to Azure Functions v4 (dev auto-deploy, prod with approval gate).
• Design for trust & safety: Implement user blocking, muting, content reporting, audit logging, and NIN identity-verification flows with full attempt-level audit trails

Requirements:

• 3 years of professional backend development with Node.js and TypeScript.
• Strong experience with Express.js (or equivalent HTTP framework), middleware patterns, error handling, request validation.
  
• Proficiency with PostgreSQL and an ORM such as Prisma: schema design, migrations, indexing, and performance tuning.
• Solid understanding of RESTful API design, resource modelling, status codes, pagination strategies, input validation (Zod or similar).
• Experience implementing JWT-based authentication, token lifecycle, refresh rotation, multi-provider OAuth flows.
• Familiarity with cloud object storage (Azure Blob Storage, AWS S3, or GCP Cloud Storage) — file uploads, signed URLs, content-type handling.
• Comfortable writing unit and integration tests (Jest, SuperTest, or equivalent).
• Working knowledge of Git, CI/CD pipelines, and branch-based deployment strategies.

Nice-to-Have:

• Experience with Azure Functions (serverless) or similar FaaS platforms.
• Exposure to AI/ML API integrations — calling hosted LLMs (Claude, GPT) for content classification, moderation, or NLP tasks.
• Familiarity with identity verification / KYC providers (Dojah, Smile ID, QoreID, or similar).
• Experience with Twilio or other CPaaS platforms for SMS/OTP workflows.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Graph API for email or calendar integrations.
  
• Understanding of trust & safety patterns — rate limiting, abuse prevention, content moderation, and audit logging.
• Experience supporting mobile-first APIs consumed by React Native / Expo apps.
• Familiarity with Azure DevOps (Pipelines, Library variable groups, Environments with approval gates).

Why Join Us:

• Greenfield ownership: The backend is young and moving fast; you'll shape the architecture, not just maintain it.
• Full-stack influence: Collaborate closely with mobile and design to define API contracts and user experiences.
• AI-forward product: Work on real AI features (content moderation, classification) shipping to production today.
• Impact at scale: Every line of code you write directly powers the product our users interact with daily.