Job Overview & Organization Mission

Shape the backend architecture powering Australia’s #1 property portal realestate.com.au with Go, Kafka, and Kubernetes at REA Group.

REA Group is looking for a Lead Backend Engineer to steer technical strategy for our search and property intelligence engines. You will lead high-performing squads building resilient Go microservices that handle peak traffic of tens of thousands of requests per second, ensuring sub-second response times and 99.99% uptime.

As a key member of the team at REA Group in Melbourne, VIC, you will play a central role in driving excellence, upholding top-tier Australian industry standards, and contributing directly to the strategic milestones of one of the nation’s premier employers.

Key Duties & Core Responsibilities

In this critical role, your operational duties and key performance responsibilities will encompass:

• Lead the: Lead the technical architecture, evolution, and scalability of backend services in Go (Golang).
• Architect distributed: Architect distributed streaming pipelines using Apache Kafka for real-time property event indexing.
• Deploy and: Deploy and manage containerized microservices across multi-region Kubernetes clusters in AWS.
• Establish technical: Establish technical standards, observability best practices (Datadog), and code review criteria.
• Partner with: Partner with product managers to transform ambitious product roadmaps into resilient engineering delivery.

Required Qualifications, Licenses & Experience

To be successful in this position at REA Group, candidates are expected to satisfy the following essential selection criteria:

• Mandatory Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
• Relevant Experience: Minimum 6+ Years of verified industry experience in Australia or recognized overseas equivalence.
• 6+ years of commercial backend engineering experience, with strong proficiency in Go or Java.
• Demonstrated experience designing and running high-throughput distributed systems in public cloud environments.
• Deep understanding of distributed consensus, message brokers (Kafka/RabbitMQ), and database architectures.
• Proven leadership capability in guiding technical teams and driving architectural consensus.

Core Competencies & Key Technical Proficiencies

The successful applicant will possess demonstrated capabilities across the following domain skill sets:

Salary, Compensation & Employee Benefits

At REA Group, we understand that our people drive our achievements. An outstanding remuneration and wellbeing package is provided in line with Australian benchmarks:

• Competitive Remuneration: AU$170,000 – AU$200,000 per year + standard Australian Superannuation (11.5%).
• Top-tier compensation package ($170,000 – $200,000) + short-term incentive bonus.
• Hybrid working model with modern Richmond headquarters featuring wellness spaces and parent rooms.
• Dedicated ‘Hack Days’ and innovation time to explore cutting-edge AI and cloud technologies.
• Leave Entitlements: 4 weeks annual leave (with 17.5% annual leave loading where applicable) plus 10 days paid personal/carer’s leave.
• Flexible Work: Progressive work-life balance options with supportive corporate culture and leadership development pathways.

About the Employer: REA Group

REA Group operates realestate.com.au, Australia’s leading digital property marketplace connecting millions of buyers, renters, and property enthusiasts.

REA Group is deeply committed to building diverse, equitable, and culturally inclusive work environments. We proudly celebrate diversity and welcome applications from all qualified individuals including First Nations Australians, people with disabilities, and candidates from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Application Process & Next Steps

Applications for this position are currently open and being reviewed on a rolling basis. Suitable candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible before the published closing date.

Please prepare an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a tailored Cover Letter highlighting your relevant experience against the key selection criteria outlined above.

To proceed with your application, click the Apply on Employer Site button to access the official REA Group careers gateway.