At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and operate a backend platform for a marketplace handling bookings and payments.
- Company: Join Eequ, a leader in innovative learning experiences outside traditional education.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on education by shaping a decentralised learning infrastructure.
- Qualifications: Experience with scalable systems, cloud infrastructure, and a passion for reliable architecture.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with high autonomy and ownership over your work.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Eequ is a marketplace and booking platform for learning experiences outside traditional schools and universities. Providers use Eequ to list activities, take bookings and payments, and manage their programmes. We are the market-leading supplier to local authorities in the UK for council-funded programmes and we also serve thousands of independent providers. Our platform handles bookings, payments, and sensitive data at scale.
Our vision is to build the infrastructure for a more decentralised model of education, where anyone can create, share, and sustain learning experiences – from forest school leaders to sports coaches and artists. We are a product-led company. Engineering decisions directly shape our reliability, user experience, and ability to scale.
We’re hiring a senior backend engineer to join a disciplined, senior team responsible for the platform behind Eequ, where engineers have real ownership and operate with high autonomy. This is a high-seniority individual contributor role. You will have been the primary owner of production systems, accountable for their design, deployment, and reliability under real-world load. You will be hands-on, responsible for both building and deploying the systems you work on.
What we do
Eequ is the market leader in delivering booking infrastructure for government-funded programmes supporting underserved communities, while also powering a growing commercial marketplace for activities across the UK. By serving both, we’re lighting up a nationwide network of independent providers and helping bring communities together through real-world classes, clubs and events.
What you'll do
- Build and operate the backend platform that powers a real marketplace handling bookings, payments, and reporting for thousands of families and providers.
- Design and ship features from API design through database models to deployment.
- Make architectural decisions and communicate them clearly to the team.
- Own our AWS infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and keep production healthy with observability and alerting.
- Lead incident response when things break, find root causes, and drive follow-ups.
- Improve database performance, query patterns, and data pipeline as usage grows.
Our stack
This stack reflects the platform we build and operate. You’re not expected to have deep expertise in everything listed, but you should be comfortable and excited working with these technologies:
- Node.js, NestJS, TypeScript
- MySQL with TypeORM, Redis-backed job queues
- AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudWatch), managed with Terraform
- Monorepo with Turborepo, shared packages, and automated testing
- Github, Slack, Linear
Who you are
- You’ve shipped and maintained scalable systems handling real-world transactional workloads.
- You’ve owned cloud infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and incident response.
- You favor simple, reliable architecture over clever solutions.
- You take security seriously, especially around payments and personal data.
- You’re self-directed and operate with high agency.
- You elevate others through thoughtful code reviews and mentorship.
Senior Backend Engineer - UK in Brighton employer: Eequ Ltd
Contact Detail:
Eequ Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Backend Engineer - UK in Brighton
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at local meetups. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects and contributions. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do, especially when it comes to backend systems.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common technical questions and system design scenarios. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to get comfortable with the format.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our mission.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Backend Engineer - UK in Brighton
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Learning: When writing your application, let us know why you're excited about the opportunity to work with Eequ. Share your thoughts on how our mission to decentralise education resonates with you and how you can contribute to that vision.
Highlight Relevant Experience: Make sure to showcase your experience with scalable systems and cloud infrastructure. We want to see examples of how you've owned production systems and handled real-world workloads, so don’t hold back on those details!
Be Clear and Concise: While we love a good story, keep your application clear and to the point. Use straightforward language to describe your skills and experiences, especially when discussing technical aspects like AWS or database management.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Eequ Ltd
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re familiar with the technologies mentioned in the job description, like Node.js, TypeScript, and AWS. Brush up on your knowledge of MySQL and Redis too. Being able to discuss how you've used these technologies in past projects will show that you're not just a fit for the role but also passionate about the tech.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific challenges you've faced in previous roles, especially around incident response and maintaining production systems. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers, highlighting how you took ownership and drove solutions.
✨Understand Eequ's Mission
Familiarise yourself with Eequ’s vision of decentralising education and how their platform supports learning experiences. Be ready to share your thoughts on how you can contribute to this mission as a Senior Backend Engineer, particularly in terms of building reliable and scalable systems.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate your interest in the role and the company. Inquire about their approach to architectural decisions, how they handle scalability challenges, or what their current priorities are for the backend team. This shows that you’re engaged and serious about the opportunity.