About the job
blacktreegaming has been part of the PC gaming scene since 2001 and runs the world’s largest video game modding platform. With more than 71 million registered members and over 800,000 mods for 4,000+ games, the platform has seen 21 billion mod downloads. The team is committed to modernizing products and building infrastructure to support community-driven modding for years to come.
Role overview
The Director of Backend Development shapes the technical direction and architecture for Nexus Mods, leading the engineering team behind a platform that serves millions of gamers and handles billions of downloads. This role combines strategic planning with hands-on involvement, setting backend vision, defining engineering standards, and supporting an agile, collaborative environment. The director also oversees the data and installation pipelines for the Nexus Mods Desktop App. This position reports directly to the Technical Director.
Location and compensation
- Remote within the United Kingdom
- Salary: £100,000 - £110,000
Please note: blacktreegaming cannot sponsor international visas at this time.
What you will do
Technical strategy and architecture
- Oversee backend architecture, including APIs, data models, pipelines, and service boundaries
- Champion a backend-first approach and keep client applications lightweight
- Advocate for a monolith-first architecture, introducing services only as scaling needs arise
- Set standards for API design, testing, observability, and developer experience
- Guide decisions on metadata, mod manifests, dependency modeling, and installation reliability for the Desktop App
Leadership and team development
- Lead and mentor backend engineers across Ruby/Rails, PHP, and platform services pods
- Clarify standards, expectations, and architectural guidelines
- Develop team skills through coaching and technical guidance
- Promote ownership, collaboration, and psychological safety
- Encourage simplicity, problem-first thinking, thorough documentation, and quality
Delivery and execution
- Ensure backend teams deliver value each week with reliable execution
- Remove blockers quickly and favor action over indecision
- Manage dependencies across teams and escalate issues as needed
- Balance immediate delivery with long-term platform health
Platform stability and scale
- Take responsibility for uptime, performance, and resilience of critical systems
