Backend Developer

About Meetswap

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