Back End Developer

The Donovan's Venom, INC. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization dedicated to bringing music, art, and entertainment to those who need it most. We cater to no particular individual(s) yet pledge relief to impaired or deprived individuals in need of musical, visual, comedic, or alternative forms of liberation through fine art and entertainment. The Donovan's Venom provides resources to individuals who lack the means or access.

About Us

The Donovan’s Venom is a 501c3 nonprofit organization focused on curating universal accessibility to fine arts and music education for all. We are passionately dedicated to ensuring that everyone, regardless of financial circumstances, has access to high-quality music education, performance opportunities, and fine art. We aim to inspire, empower, and uplift communities by fostering a love for music and the arts through our commitment to education, inclusivity, diversity, and social impact.

About the Role

We are looking for a talented and enthusiastic Backend Developer with 2 to 4+ years of professional experience building scalable, secure, and high-performance backend systems. You will play a key role in designing, developing, and maintaining web applications and microservices that power our products. As a Backend Developer, you will collaborate closely with Frontend Developers, QA, DevOps Engineers, and Solution Architects to deliver reliable, scalable, and maintainable software solutions. We seek someone passionate about modern backend technologies, enjoys solving complex technical challenges, and thrives in a collaborative Agile environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain scalable backend services and RESTful APIs using Node.js, TypeScript, and JavaScript.
• Build and maintain microservices-based applications that are secure, resilient, and highly available.
• Collaborate with frontend developers to define API contracts and ensure seamless integration between frontend and backend systems.
• Design and implement efficient business logic while ensuring code quality, scalability, and maintainability.
• Integrate third-party APIs and external services where required.
• Develop reusable backend components and shared libraries to improve development efficiency.
• Troubleshoot, debug, and resolve production issues while maintaining system reliability and performance.
• Participate in code reviews, technical discussions, architecture reviews, and sprint ceremonies.
• Write clean, well-documented, and testable code following industry best practices.
• Contribute to improving backend architecture, engineering standards, and development processes.
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements that enhance platform performance and developer productivity.

Volunteer Commitment

• Estimated commitment: 8–12 hours per week.
• Availability: Flexible, with alignment to sprint/project timelines.
• Participation in development and design meetings required.

Skills

• Programming Languages: Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript (ES6+)
• Backend Development: RESTful APIs, API Design, API Versioning, Authentication & Authorization, Error Handling, Middleware Development
• Architecture: Microservices, Distributed Systems, Service-Oriented Architecture, Event-Driven Architecture (preferred)
• Cloud Technologies: Microsoft Azure, Azure App Services, Azure Functions, Azure Storage, Azure API Management (preferred)
• API Development & Testing: Postman, Axios, JSON, REST API Integration
• Version Control: Git, GitHub
• Development Practices: CI/CD, Code Reviews, Unit Testing, Integration Testing, Debugging, Performance Optimization

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Web Development, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 2–4 years of experience in backend development.
• Experience with any of the following would be an advantage:
  • Azure DevOps
  • Messaging platforms (Azure Service Bus, RabbitMQ, Kafka)
  • SQL and NoSQL databases
  • Redis or distributed caching
  • OAuth 2.0 / JWT Authentication
  • OpenAPI (Swagger)
  • Logging and monitoring tools
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Automated testing frameworks

Performance Evaluation Framework

In this role, success looks like:

• Delivering scalable, secure, and high-performing backend services.
• Developing robust, well-documented APIs that support seamless frontend integration.
• Building resilient microservices that are easy to maintain and extend.
• Producing clean, testable, and maintainable code aligned with engineering standards.
• Collaborating effectively across cross-functional teams to deliver reliable software solutions.
• Contributing to improving backend architecture, cloud infrastructure, and engineering best practices.
• Helping foster a collaborative, quality-focused, and innovation-driven engineering culture.

Work Environment

• Fully remote volunteer role.
• Agile, project-based development environment.
• Collaborative with creative and engineering teams.