Lead Software Engineer

PawnMate is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to play a key role in the evolution of our platform. This is a senior, hands-on role with broad impact across product development, platform improvement, architecture, and engineering quality.

You will help design, build, improve, and maintain features across the PawnMate platform while contributing to the long-term health and modernization of the system. Our environment includes a mature Perl-based foundation, and we are looking for someone who can work effectively within that codebase while helping guide the platform forward with strong engineering judgment, modern development practices, and pragmatic technical leadership.

This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who enjoys solving real business problems, building reliable software, improving systems over time, and influencing how a growing SaaS platform is designed and developed.

What You’ll DoTechnical Leadership

• Help shape the technical direction and long-term health of the PawnMate platform
• Influence architecture, design decisions, and engineering standards across the codebase
• Identify technical risks and drive practical solutions that improve scalability, maintainability, and reliability
• Balance near-term product delivery with long-term platform improvement
• Raise the quality bar through strong engineering practices, thoughtful reviews, and sound technical judgment

Hands-On Development

• Design, develop, test, and maintain product features within the PawnMate platform
• Work within and improve existing Perl-based systems
• Contribute to modernization efforts using newer technologies and current best practices
• Build and enhance APIs, integrations, reporting, automation, workflows, and customer-facing functionality
• Improve performance, stability, observability, and developer efficiency
• Write clean, maintainable, production-ready code

Product and Team Collaboration

• Work closely with leadership and internal teams to understand business needs and customer workflows
• Translate real operational problems into practical, scalable technical solutions
• Contribute to product discussions, technical planning, and prioritization
• Support a culture of accountability, quality, and continuous improvement, This is not a routine maintenance role. We are looking for a high-level engineer who wants to make a meaningful impact on a real product used by real businesses every day.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Influence the future direction of the PawnMate platform
• Help modernize a proven product with an established customer base
• Solve practical engineering challenges tied directly to business outcomes
• Work on software that powers mission-critical operations for customers
• Take ownership of work that matters

• Strong professional software engineering experience
• Deep experience with Perl or an understanding and ability to learn
• Experience with modern programming languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or similar
• Strong backend development skills
• Solid experience with relational databases such as MySQL
• Experience designing and working with APIs, integrations, and web-based applications
• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and performance optimization skills
• Experience working in SaaS, cloud-based, or transaction-driven software environments
• Ability to write clean, efficient, maintainable code
• Strong problem-solving ability and sound technical decision-making
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a high-trust environment
• Strong communication skills and the ability to turn business requirements into technical solutions

Preferred Experience

• Experience working with legacy platforms while leading modernization efforts
• Experience with POS, retail, financial, inventory-driven, or transaction-based systems
• Experience with third-party integrations and production systems used by real customers
• Familiarity with scalable software architecture and platform evolution
• Experience mentoring other developers or informally leading technical direction, * Degree or diploma in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field is preferred
• Equivalent hands-on experience will also be considered

PawnMate builds software for pawnshops, jewelry stores, buy/sell stores, and FFL dealers. Our platform powers real-world retail and transaction-based operations including inventory, loans, sales, reporting, compliance, customer communication, and eCommerce integrations.

We are a product-driven company serving businesses that rely on accuracy, reliability, performance, and practical software that works in the real world. This is an opportunity to join a platform with established customers, meaningful complexity, and clear room for technical improvement and growth.