Backend engineering at Wix isn’t just about managing servers. It's about solving challenges that most developers won’t encounter elsewhere. With strategic products like Wix Payments and the custom-built frameworks under their care, the Server Guild at Wix Ukraine is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions. To give us a deeper look, we spoke with two key members of the Server Platform: Oleksii Tokar, Node Solutions Group Manager, and Boris Bulyha, Server Guild Manager. Here's their take on the challenges, culture and unique opportunities at Wix.

Participants:

Boris Buliga – Server Guild Manager at Server Platform

Oleksii Tokar – Node Solutions group manager at Server Platform

What makes the Server Guild at Wix different from server teams at other tech companies?

Oleksii: We tackle challenges that others don’t have, which means we’re often creating custom solutions from scratch. This constant innovation is part of what makes our work exciting — we’re not just relying on off-the-shelf tools. Most of our problems are unique to the industry.

Boris: Another unique aspect of what we do is that we’re all responsible for what we create — end to end. You own it. That’s part of the product culture we have here, which is rare in Ukraine’s tech scene.

What are the main challenges of being a backend developer at Wix Ukraine?

Boris: There’s a strong sense of ownership here. While our headquarters are in Israel, we manage some of Wix's most strategic products from the ground here in Ukraine, including Wix Payments, Serverless, and Nile, which is a platform that streamlines the creation and deployment of microservices for developers. This comes with a lot of responsibility, and it’s a unique opportunity compared to typical development roles. We’re building custom solutions at scale, which is something you don’t find in many other places. As a developer in a product company, your focus is purely on the business side, without having to deal with lower-level details like message brokers, databases or transport layers. Platform engineering is a growing trend worldwide, and at Wix, the Nile team is at the forefront of that movement. 

Oleksii:  We're following the principles of functional programming, which means we build software in a way that keeps things simple and predictable. We use clean, standalone functions and avoid sharing data between parts of the system to reduce unexpected issues.

"It’s like working at a startup, but without the financial stress" - Boris

What’s something people don’t know about Wix Ukraine?

Oleksii: Most people outside the company think Wix is just a simple website builder. They’re often shocked when I tell them about the range of products we manage and the sheer volume of data we process daily. There’s also a misconception that we're just executors, but that's far from the truth. We are the decision-makers here. Which goes back to us truly owning what we do.

Boris: The scale of what we handle is often surprising to candidates. We have hundreds of millions of users globally, which is a level most companies don’t work at. Plus, we have full access to production environments, logs, metrics and more.

Oleksii Tokar

How would you describe the work culture at Wix?

Boris: It’s like working at a startup, but without the financial stress.We get the best of both worlds — the innovation of a small company with the stability and technological maturity of a large corporation. We also foster a continuous learning culture, which is vital for developers.

Oleksii: Informal conversations often lead to the best ideas. Some of my most insightful moments have happened in the kitchen, just by listening to what others are working on. It’s that kind of collaborative environment that makes Wix special.

"Informal conversations often lead to the best ideas. Some of my most insightful moments have happened in the kitchen, just by listening to what others are working on. It’s that kind of collaborative environment that makes Wix special" - Oleksii

Boris Buliga

Learning is tough to prioritize in such a fast-paced field. How do you make time for it?

Boris: Learning is built into everything we do. Our professional guilds document knowledge and we continuously update our onboarding materials. For example, if any changes are made, our onboarding plan is updated right away. We also have guild days and weeks, which are dedicated to learning about specific topics in-depth or tackling something entirely new.

Oleksii: We  have mentorship programs where you can learn from your peers. There’s also a clear path for what new employees need to learn and when they need to learn it, which helps us stay sharp.

What’s the day-to-day like for a backend engineer? Boris: A lot of time goes into designing your own solutions. We expect our engineers to focus on problem-solving, not just implementation. That’s where most of the day is spent — coming up with and refining ideas.

What do you look for in an ideal candidate?

Oleksii: Beyond the technical skills, I’m always looking for curiosity and attention to details. These are critical for success in a fast-paced, innovative environment like ours.

Boris: Someone who’s open minded and constantly asks, “Why do we do it this way?” That level of critical thinking is essential.

About our hiring process:

Our online interview process is designed to be seamless, though it may vary depending on the company's needs. It typically begins with a 90-minute technical interview, followed by a code test to assess real-world coding skills. Next, a 90-minute design interview focuses on problem-solving and system design. A short managerial interview offers insight into potential projects, and the process concludes with an HR interview to ensure cultural fit with Wix.