At a Glance
- Tasks: Build scalable backend systems for advanced AI applications and ensure API quality.
- Company: Join a fast-growing tech company focused on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible hours, private healthcare, and 29 days holiday plus public holidays.
- Other info: Hybrid working model with opportunities for personal growth and mentorship.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in AI while enjoying rapid career progression.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in backend development with Python and experience in event-driven architectures.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
My client is looking for a Senior Backend Engineer. Contract may also be considered.
What You Will Be Doing
You'll sit at the core of their product, building the systems that make advanced AI usable in the real world. If you enjoy owning backend services end to end, care deeply about reliability and API quality in a high-impact environment, this role offers both autonomy and real impact.
Requirements
- Backend Architecture & APIs (Primary Focus)
- Design and evolve scalable backend services in Python using FastAPI for high-availability, high-throughput workloads.
- Build well-versioned RESTful APIs aligned to OpenAPI/Swagger, with strong conventions for consistency, idempotency, and backward compatibility.
- Implement authentication and authorization using OAuth2/OIDC, session management, and fine-grained permissions.
- Design and maintain event-driven architectures and background processing pipelines (e.g. Celery, Redis Streams, Kafka) to enable scalable async workloads, retries, and fault-tolerant integrations.
- Design data models and optimise relational databases (PostgreSQL) for performance, partitioning, and horizontal scale.
- Introduce caching, rate limiting, and queuing to meet performance budgets and latency goals.
- Integrate with AI pipelines and model-serving endpoints, including streaming responses, async inference jobs, and robust error/retry semantics.
- Palantir Foundry Integration
- Work with Palantir Foundry to build and maintain data pipelines, ontologies, and integrations that connect backend services to Foundry-based analytics and workflows.
- Leverage Foundry's APIs and tooling to support data modelling, transformation, and secure data exchange across the platform.
- Security & Reliability
- Write secure, well-tested code (unit, integration, end-to-end) and uphold coding standards through code reviews.
- Contribute to logging, metrics, and alerting (Prometheus/Grafana, ELK/OpenSearch) for the services you build.
- Support compliance readiness (ISO 27001, GDPR) through secure-by-default design.
- Cross-Functional & Process
- Collaborate closely with the engineering team, product and leadership to scope, sequence, and deliver outcomes.
- Translate product requirements into technical plans, breaking work into milestones with measurable success criteria.
- Mentor engineers on backend design and API ergonomics.
- Infrastructure Contributions (optional)
- Ship services via Docker containers with clean, minimal builds.
- Contribute to IaC (Terraform/CloudFormation) and CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Argo CD) alongside the DevOps team.
- Support cloud operations with sensible defaults, cost awareness, and environment promotion across dev/staging/prod.
Required Skills & Experience
- SC Clearance or the ability to obtain SC (and later DV).
- 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong focus on backend development in Python and with event-driven architectures.
- Hands-on experience with Palantir Foundry, including working with Foundry APIs, data pipelines, ontologies, or Foundry-based application development.
- Proven experience designing and operating production REST APIs with OpenAPI/Swagger.
- Deep understanding of relational database design, indexing, performance tuning, and migrations (PostgreSQL).
- Proficiency with containerisation (Docker) and Git-based workflows.
- Experience with API versioning, security, documentation strategies, and automated testing.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently with high ownership.
Soft Skills
- High-agency engineer who owns outcomes end to end.
- Pragmatic, research-driven approach with a bias to ship and iterate.
- Clear communicator who can talk to stakeholders of varying technical backgrounds.
- Comfortable defining SLAs, making trade-offs explicit, and operating production systems.
Benefits include:
- Rapid career progression and personal growth.
- Flexible working hours.
- Opportunity to shape the future of a fast-growing business.
- Hybrid working model.
- Company pension (NEST) with 4% employer contribution.
- Private Healthcare.
- 29 days holiday + public holidays.
Senior Backend Engineer in London employer: MarkIT Placements
Join a forward-thinking company as a Senior Backend Engineer, where you'll play a pivotal role in shaping advanced AI systems. With a strong emphasis on personal growth and rapid career progression, you will enjoy a flexible working environment that promotes autonomy and innovation. Benefit from a hybrid working model, private healthcare, and a generous holiday allowance, all while contributing to impactful projects in a collaborative culture.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Backend Engineer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage in online communities. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your backend projects, especially those involving Python and FastAPI. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and soft skills. Practice coding challenges and be ready to discuss your past projects in detail. Remember, they want to see how you think and solve problems!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We make it easy for you to find roles that match your skills and interests. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining our team. Don't miss out on the chance to land that dream job!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Backend Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Senior Backend Engineer role. Highlight your experience with Python, FastAPI, and any relevant projects that showcase your backend architecture skills. We want to see how you can make an impact!
Showcase Your Projects:Include links to your GitHub or any other portfolio where we can see your work. If you've built RESTful APIs or worked with event-driven architectures, let us know! This is your chance to shine and show us what you can do.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to describe your skills and experiences. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point—no fluff, just the good stuff!
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 don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, we love seeing applications come in through our own channels!
How to prepare for a job interview at MarkIT Placements
✨Know Your Tech Stack Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Python, FastAPI, and the other technologies mentioned in the job description. Brush up on your knowledge of RESTful APIs, OAuth2, and event-driven architectures. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you’re not just familiar with them, but that you can also apply them effectively.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that ask you to solve real-world problems or design systems on the spot. Practice explaining your thought process clearly and logically. This is your chance to showcase your problem-solving skills and how you approach backend architecture challenges.
✨Showcase Your Collaboration Skills
Since this role involves working closely with cross-functional teams, be ready to discuss past experiences where you collaborated with product managers or other engineers. Highlight how you translated product requirements into technical plans and how you mentored others in backend design.
✨Demonstrate a Security Mindset
Given the emphasis on security and compliance in the job description, be prepared to talk about how you write secure code and uphold coding standards. Discuss any experience you have with logging, metrics, and alerting, as well as how you ensure compliance with standards like ISO 27001 and GDPR.
