Backend Developer

About Meetswap is an Abu Dhabi–based startup building a location-based social app that helps people meet others nearby in real life. When two users cross paths, they can connect, chat in real time, join place-based group chats, and earn XP and achievements as they meet new people. The app is live on iOS and Android. About the Role We are looking for a Backend Developer (Node.js) to own and grow the backend that powers Meetswap. You will work on a live production codebase, build new features, keep the platform fast and reliable, and work closely with our Flutter mobile team. This is a hands-on role with real ownership in a small, fast-moving team. Key Responsibilities Build and maintain backend services using Node.js and Express.js Design secure, scalable and maintainable REST APIs for the mobile app Build real-time features such as chat and live updates using Socket . IO / WebSockets Develop and improve location-based discovery features Work with SQL databases (MySQL / PostgreSQL) through Sequelize, and optimise queries, indexes and relationships Use Redis for caching, real-time communication and distributed processing Build and maintain background jobs and queue-based processing (BullMQ or similar) Maintain Firebase services and push notification integrations Integrate third-party services and APIs, including RevenueCat for subscriptions Build media upload and processing workflows on AWS (S3, CloudWatch) Implement authentication, authorisation, validation and security best practices Monitor production, investigate issues, and fix bottlenecks in performance, scalability and reliability Maintain API documentation with Swagger / OpenAPI Review code, contribute to architecture decisions and support production deployments What We Are Looking For Strong problem-solving and debugging skills Comfortable working in an existing codebase and taking ownership of it Able to work independently and as part of a small team Clear written and spoken English Able to turn business requirements into practical technical solutions Cares about code quality and production stability Work Details

Location

Remote (possible on-site relocation to Abu Dhabi in future) Salary: ₹50,000 – ₹1,00,000 per month, based on experience and skill level Schedule: 48 hours/week (8 hours/day, 6 days/week)

Desired Candidate Profile

Must-have: 3–5+ years of backend development experience with JavaScript / Node.js Strong hands-on experience with Express.js and REST API development Practical experience with Socket . IO / WebSockets SQL databases and Sequelize (or a similar ORM), including database design, transactions, indexing and pagination Redis for caching and real-time use cases Authentication, authorisation, API security and validation Asynchronous programming, error handling, logging and Git Experience running production applications and troubleshooting performance issues Good to have: AWS (S3, CloudWatch), Docker and CI/CD BullMQ or other queue systems Firebase Admin SDK and Firebase Cloud Messaging RevenueCat or in-app subscription integrations Image or video processing Experience building chat, social or high-traffic applications Flutter: a strong advantage, since you’ll troubleshoot across backend and mobile Soft

Skills

Strong problem-solving and debugging skills Comfortable taking ownership of an existing codebase Able to work independently and in a small team Clear written and spoken English Work details: Remote: possible on-site relocation to Abu Dhabi in future Schedule: 48 hours/week (8 hours/day, 6 days/week) Time tracking: Jibble time-tracking is mandatory during working hours Salary: ₹50,000 – ₹1,00,000 per month, based on experience Employment Type Full-time

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