{"id":777028,"url":"https://alion.io/job/smarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer","title":"Senior Backend Software Engineer","company":{"id":688000,"name":"Smarkets","domain":"smarkets.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/smarkets","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["London, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":89000,"max_usd":173000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":139},"experience_years_min":6,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Apache Kafka","optional":false},{"name":"AWS","optional":false},{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"GCP","optional":false},{"name":"GitLab","optional":false},{"name":"Go","optional":false},{"name":"Java","optional":false},{"name":"Kubernetes","optional":false},{"name":"MySQL","optional":false},{"name":"PostgreSQL","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-24T14:59:11Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-24","last_verified_at":"2026-11-03T21:40:33Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":71,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":71},"description":"Who are we?\nSmarkets: Predicting the Future of Betting\nSmarkets runs one of the world’s most sophisticated prediction markets, handling over £29 billion in volume since 2010 and engaging 200,000+ traders globally. We’re a technology company that happens to revolutionise betting - from sports to political markets, to delivering the sharpest prices and the fairest odds.\nOur stack is designed for scale, reliability, and speed: Linux, Kafka, Postgres, Kubernetes, with Python 3, Rust, C++17, and React powering our platform. We build infrastructure that institutions trust while keeping trading accessible to everyone. Our edge? We’ve thrived through every market cycle, competitor, and industry revolution.\nAt the heart of our success are our people. We create a high-performance environment where exceptional talent can thrive, blending deep business experience with a commercial mindset to drive strategic growth.\nIf you’re ready to help shape the future of prediction markets with cutting-edge technology and a customer-first philosophy, Smarkets is where you belong.\nResponsibilities\nLead the design, development, and optimisation of backend services written in Python and Rust\n\nArchitect and build scalable, distributed systems to meet the evolving needs of the platform\n\nEnhance system reliability through robust monitoring and alerting systems\n\nDrive and enforce best practices in code quality, testing, and continuous integration/delivery (CI/CD)\n\nCollaborate with product managers and engineering teams to define and deliver complex, high-impact projects\n\nMentor and guide engineers across the team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and growth\n\nDrive technical decision-making and contribute to the evolution of our backend architecture\n\nEnsure the performance and stability of critical services by implementing improvements with a forward-looking mindset\n\nRole Requirements\n6+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on backend systems\n\nFamiliarity with Python or at least one compiled language (Java, C++, Rust, Go) and are keen on learning Rust\n\nProven experience designing and building distributed systems in modern cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or similar)\n\nDeep knowledge of DevOps practices and tools, including GitLab and Kubernetes (K8S)\n\nStrong experience with message queuing systems (e.g., Apache Kafka) and relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL)\n\nPrevious experience in Sports Betting or Finance industries is a plus\n\nExcellent communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams\n\nDemonstrated leadership in driving complex technical projects to successful completion\n\nOur Values\nOur values are at the heart of everything we do - guiding how we work, collaborate, and innovate. They reflect what we expect of ourselves and each other to deliver the best results, while fostering a positive, high-performing environment:\nPush to Win: We set ambitious goals and relentlessly pursue them, always striving for excellence.\n\nMake Others Better: We lift each other up, share knowledge, and celebrate team success over individual achievement.\n\nGive a Shit: We care deeply about our work, our users, and the impact we make.\n\nBe a Pro: We take ownership, act with integrity, and consistently deliver to a high standard.\n\nBring the Energy: We bring positivity, curiosity, and enthusiasm to everything we do, inspiring those around us.\n\nCulture Fit: These values define how we succeed as a team. If this isn’t you, this may not be the right place. We hire people who thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and ambitious environment.\nPerks & Benefits\nWe offer a competitive salary and benefits package, alongside a dynamic, collaborative environment where your work truly makes an impact and your voice is heard. Our team is diverse, driven, and ambitious - united by a strong work ethic and a hunger to innovate and win.\nOur benefits are designed around Health, Wealth, and Development, supporting you both professionally and personally.\nThese include:\nStock Options: Vest over 4 years, your success is our success.\n\nPension Scheme: Competitive plan via Aviva, with up to 6% matched contributions if you opt in.\n\nHealth Insurance: Comprehensive coverage to keep you and your family healthy.\n\nEnhanced Parental Leave: Enhanced maternity and paternity leave to support you through life’s most important moments.\n\nStay Fuelled: Enjoy fresh, chef-made breakfast and lunch every day, plus a constant supply of fruit, snacks, tea, coffee and soft drinks, because great work starts with great food.\n\nCycle-to-Work Scheme: Support for sustainable commuting and staying active.\n\nLearning & Development: £1,000 annual education budget for courses, conferences, books, or training.\n\nHoliday: 25 days paid leave + bank holidays, with the option to carry over 5 days.\n\nFlexible Working: Hybrid model with 3 days in the office and 2 days from home to fit your lifestyle.\n\nGlobal Working: Work from anywhere in the world for up to 20 days a year.\n\nTeam Energy: Regular socials, hackathons, and events - because collaboration and fun go hand-in-hand.\n\nWhat happens next\nWe aim to have a simple and speedy hiring process, and we want to make sure that we are right for you as much as the other way around.\nCV application review: We will review it as quickly as possible\n\nLet’s chat: Quick chat with our team about your experience and the role\n\nTechnical Interview: Live Coding + System Design\n\nExperience and Mindset Chat: with an Engineering Manager\n\nIn Office Interview: Lunch with other colleagues in the team + LT chat\n\nDiversity & Inclusion\nWe’re an equal opportunities employer and celebrate diversity in all its forms. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know - we’re happy to accommodate your needs.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5823,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":6,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Flexible schedule","Health insurance","Parental leave","Stock options"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Sports Betting"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-11T23:26:33Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"GB","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"Licensed UK visa sponsor (Skilled Worker)","filings_12m":null,"filings_prev_12m":null,"green_card_filings_12m":null,"median_offered_wage_usd":null,"route":"Skilled Worker","cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-03T08:26:00+00:00","sources":["UK Home Office: register of licensed sponsors (workers)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":19,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.533,"p_room":0.36,"age_days":70,"expected_fill_days":36,"reasons":["conf:3","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-11-03T05:54:40Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/smarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/smarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-03T23:17:40Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":1879,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-04T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":688000},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=688000"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsmarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsmarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsmarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/smarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsmarkets-senior-backend-software-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":777028}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"smarkets.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":777028},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}