Software Development Engineer I (Backend)

About GoKwik

GoKwik is India’s leading D2C Commerce Growth Platform, helping 15,000+ brands acquire, convert, engage, and retain shoppers. Powered by a network of 200M+ shoppers, 500M+ checkouts, and 1.5B+ customer conversations, we’re building the operating system for commerce growth.

Why This Role Matters

We are looking for a Software Development Engineer I to build and maintain backend services for GoKwik’s commerce platform. The platform supports multiple merchants, handles large volumes of API traffic, and integrates with external systems and third-party applications.

In this role, you will develop backend features using Node.js and TypeScript, work with SQL databases and APIs, and contribute to the reliability, performance, and scalability of production systems. You will own small-to-medium features end to end, from design and development to testing, deployment, and post-release monitoring, with guidance from senior engineers.

The role also requires the effective use of AI-assisted development tools to improve engineering productivity while maintaining code quality, security, and reliability.

What You’ll Own

• Backend Development: Design, develop, test, and maintain backend services and REST APIs using Node.js and TypeScript.
• Feature Ownership: Take ownership of small-to-medium features from initial design and data modelling through implementation, testing, rollout, and post-release monitoring.
• API Design and Development: Build REST APIs with appropriate validation, error handling, pagination, status codes, and idempotent write operations.
• Database Design and Optimisation: Write efficient SQL queries, work with indexes and data models, analyse query execution plans, and identify opportunities to improve database performance.
• Multi-Tenant Data Management: Ensure that database queries, cache keys, APIs, and background jobs correctly scope data to the relevant merchant and maintain data isolation.
• Database Migrations: Implement schema changes and database migrations with guidance from senior engineers, ensuring safe execution and rollback options in production environments.
• Integrations and Background Processing: Develop third-party integrations and background jobs that handle retries, timeouts, API rate limits, and partial failures. Use queues and Redis where appropriate.
• Caching and Idempotency: Apply caching, queuing, and idempotency patterns to improve performance and ensure reliable processing when requests or jobs are retried.
• Production Monitoring and Debugging: Add structured logs, metrics, and traces to new code paths. Use application performance monitoring tools to investigate production issues and document root causes.
• AI-Assisted Development: Use AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, or GitHub Copilot for design, coding, testing, code review, and debugging. Validate generated code for correctness, security, and maintainability before deployment.
• AI and LLM-Based Features: Contribute to LLM-powered features, including prompt design, structured outputs, and tool calling, with guidance from senior engineers where required.
• Code Reviews and Collaboration: Review code, incorporate feedback, document technical decisions, and collaborate with other engineers to maintain code quality and engineering standards.

Who You Are

• Have 1-3 years of experience building production backend services using Node.js and TypeScript, including experience shipping and supporting at least one feature in production.
• Have a sound understanding of data structures, algorithms, problem-solving, and debugging fundamentals.
• Are comfortable writing SQL queries, using joins and indexes, reading query execution plans, and investigating slow queries.
• Understand multi-tenant architecture and the importance of correctly isolating merchant data across queries, caches, and background jobs.
• Have a practical understanding of caching, queues, retries, and idempotency, including how systems behave when requests fail or jobs execute more than once.
• Understand REST API design principles, including request validation, status codes, pagination, error handling, and idempotent writes.
• Use AI coding tools regularly and can evaluate generated code for correctness, security, test coverage, and maintainability.
• Have strong written communication skills and can document technical designs, pull requests, implementation decisions, and incident summaries.
• Take ownership of assigned features, communicate blockers early, seek clarification when requirements are ambiguous, and follow through after release.
• Are open to feedback, willing to learn from senior engineers, and committed to continuously improving your technical skills.

Why GoKwik

At GoKwik, you will work on production commerce infrastructure that supports a growing ecosystem of D2C brands. You will gain hands-on experience building backend services, working with multi-tenant systems, and solving practical challenges in database performance, integrations, and production reliability. With guidance from experienced engineers, you will own features end to end, develop your system design skills, and learn to use AI-assisted engineering tools responsibly in a production environment.