Senior Backend Engineer

We are seeking a versatile and proactive Senior Backend Engineer to design, build, and operate the services that power our products. The ideal candidate will own backend APIs, data pipelines, and event-driven systems; champion performance, reliability, and security; and collaborate closely with frontend, QA and DevOps teams to deliver a robust platform. Experience with distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, observability, and identity/access patterns is essential for ensuring a scalable and efficient backend environment.

Responsibilities:

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services and APIs using Python and Django.
• Develop and optimise data storage solutions with PostgreSQL and Redis, ensuring reliability and performance.
• Implement Elasticsearch for search and analytics across large datasets.
• Architect and operate distributed systems that handle high-throughput and low-latency workloads.
• Build and operate asynchronous task queues and background workers using Celery and Redis.
• Write clean, maintainable, and unit-test-focused code with strong coverage using pytest.
• Build and maintain REST APIs, ensuring proper authentication, authorisation, and versioning.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimise backend services for scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Collaborate with frontend, QA, DevOps, and product teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Document technical designs, APIs, and operational runbooks.
• Perform other backend software engineering duties as assigned and according to capability.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience developing and maintaining backend systems in production environments.
• Strong programming expertise in Python and Django.
• Hands-on experience with PostgreSQL, including schema design and query optimisation.
• Experience with Redis for caching, message queues, or real-time data.
• Strong command of Linux-based operating systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

Preferred Experience:

• Practical use of Elasticsearch for indexing, search, and data analytics.
• Experience building and consuming APIs, including documentation and testing.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems design patterns.
• Strong focus on unit tests and automated testing using pytest or similar frameworks.
• Proficiency with Docker and containerised application deployments.
• Proven experience with Celery and managing background workers in production.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Agile/Scrum team experience.