Tech Lead, Back-End (Shared Services)

Notice: Collectors will transition to the Workday Applicant Tracking System (ATS) on May 27th. Applicants may be asked to reapply at that time. For questions regarding your application status, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team.

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Collectors is the leading creator of innovative technology that provides value-added services for collectors worldwide. We grade, authenticate, vault and sell millions of high-value, record-setting collectibles, all while modernizing and digitalizing the process to further our mission of helping collectors pursue their passions. We’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our growing team.

Our services span collectible coins, trading cards, Funko Pops!, video games, event tickets, autographs, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, WATA, Card Ladder, and the Long Beach Expo collectibles trade show. Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than 1,700 people across our headquarters in Santa Ana and offices in Jersey City, Seattle, Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

We’re transforming the collecting experience with technology that brings authentication, grading, and trading into the modern era. Our products are equalizing the playing field by providing tools that make complex research analytics — including pricing, scarcity reports, and historic sales data — accessible to every collector, old or new. Our engineering mission is to democratize technology while promoting innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning throughout the organization. We're seeking engineers to utilize advanced technology in agile settings, with a focus on improving the customer experience for every collector.

Shared Services: Our Shared Services team is responsible for building modern cloud based applications, integrations (APIs and asynchronous), AI/ML based services, and scalable architectures that power software solutions across the organization. As a member of this team, your day-to-day work will be focused on building new capabilities for all other engineering teams, along with modernizing existing application architectures.

Role Overview:

We’re looking for an Tech Lead to join our CORE team as a hands-on technical leader who can set the bar for engineering excellence while guiding and inspiring a high-performing team. In this role, you'll build robust and scalable backend systems that support our digital transformation and power the foundation for Collectors' products and services. You'll lead from the front—writing high-quality code, leading talented engineers, driving architectural decisions, and evolving legacy systems into modern, reusable platforms. We’re looking for someone who brings a strong bias for action—able to move work forward with urgency, remove blockers, and accelerate progress without sacrificing quality. Your work will have a broad, company-wide impact, enabling product teams to deliver innovative, value-added experiences for both our collector community and internal stakeholders. 

You will be reporting directly to the Director of Software Engineering, Shared Services. We believe that there is significant value in in-person collaboration. If you live within a 1 hour commuting distance to one of our offices, you will be required to be onsite most of the time. Remote or hybrid candidates will be considered. This will be discussed further as part of the recruiting process.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the design, architecture, and delivery of scalable backend systems that power Collectors’ core platforms
• Deliver high-quality code to production as a player-coach, setting a standard for excellence on the team
• Own and implement complex features end-to-end, from concept through deployment and support
• Mentor engineers and drive a high standard of technical quality through code reviews, architecture discussions, and hands-on guidance
• Modernize legacy systems and improve performance, reliability, and maintainability across Shared Services
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, infrastructure, and engineering teams to align on goals and deliver impactful solutions

What We’re Looking For:

• 12+ years of software engineering experience building production-grade applications
• 7+ years of experience with Java. Python experience is a plus!
• 3+ years of experience providing technical leadership or mentorship across multiple engineering teams.
• Strong grasp of object-oriented programming, data structures, algorithms, and design patterns
• Experience designing and building scalable APIs (REST, GraphQL, gRPC) and modular, extensible architectures
• Hands-on experience with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., MSSQL, PostgreSQL, DynamoDB)
• 3+ years of experience with AWS cloud services (e.g., Lambda, RDS, S3, DynamoDB, MSK, SNS, SQS) and infrastructure tools like Terraform and Docker
• Familiar with messaging and event-driven platforms like Kafka for real-time systems
• Experience with AI-powered developer tools such as GitHub Copilot and Claude (Anthropic) to improve productivity and code quality
• Strong troubleshooting, communication, and documentation skills, with a bias for secure, observable, and maintainable solutions
• Comfortable working in Agile/Scrum environments with cross-functional teams

Salary Range: The salary range for this position is $159,469 - $258,903. Actual compensation on this range varies based on a variety of non-discriminatory factors, including location, job level, prior experience, and skill set. This role may be eligible for bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation, please ask your recruiter for details.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. 

Reasons To Join Us: 

• Health Insurance: All full-time employees are eligible to enroll in Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Additional Benefits: Full-time employees are eligible for fertility, commuter, and educational assistance benefits.
• 401(K) Matching Plan: We are proud to offer a competitive 401k matching plan to our employees to support their future financial goals
• Vacation: All full-time employees are eligible for paid vacation
• Holiday Pay: All regular, full-time employees are eligible for ten company paid holidays
• Employee Discounts: Employees receive discounts on select grading services for approved submissions
• Flexible Hours: Many of our teams offer flexible schedules with varying shifts and will work with you to accommodate your needs
• Fun Working Environment: Our team members are invited to participate in celebrations, holiday events, and team building activities

We are aware that there are instances where individuals are receiving job offers that fraudulently allege to be from Collectors or one of our business units. This type of fraud can be carried out through false websites, through fake e-mails claiming to be from the company or through social media. We never ask for personal information such as your bank account, Social Security numbers or National IDs, nor do we send or request payments for the purchase of business-related equipment. If you suspect fraud, please reach out to jobs@collectors.com.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We believe that a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills will better service the diverse community of collectors we support.

If you require an accommodation to apply or interview with us due to a disability or special need, please email people@collectors.com. 

U.S. residents: for disclosures relating to personal information we collect during the employment application and recruitment process, please see our Privacy Notice for U.S. Applicants.

Explore other available openings at collectors.com/careers.