At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build microservices on AWS, ensuring reliable and scalable systems.
- Company: Join Narwhal Labs, a fast-growing tech start-up in Bristol.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and a dynamic work environment.
- Other info: Office-based role with excellent opportunities for professional development.
- Why this job: Shape the architecture of an AI communications platform used by real customers.
- Qualifications: 4+ years AWS experience and strong backend development skills.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 80000 £ per year.
Location: Bristol, UK — predominantly in-house
Employment: Full-Time, Permanent
Salary: £65,000 – £80,000+
Experience: 4+ years operating on AWS with meaningful DevOps ownership
About Us
Narwhal Labs is a fast-growing tech start-up based in Bristol. We are building an AI communications platform at scale, and our engineering team is central to everything we do.
The Role:
We are looking for a Senior Fullstack Engineer to own our microservices platform on AWS. You will build reliable, multi-tenant services and a first-class integration layer spanning messaging, outreach, CRM, billing, analytics and payment systems that powers a SaaS product at scale. This is an office-based role and candidates must be located in or within commutable distance of Bristol.
Responsibilities:
- Design and build microservices behind API Gateway (REST/HTTP), running on Lambda and containerised workloads on EC2/Fargate
- Model multi-tenant data across DynamoDB and RDS (PostgreSQL), using S3 for object storage and KMS for secrets and encryption
- Build and maintain an integrations layer including OAuth/API-key onboarding, webhook ingestion with idempotency, retries and DLQs, rate-limit mediation, circuit breakers and versioned connector contracts
- Integrate with third-party platforms and payment systems, ensuring secure, reliable and scalable flows for transactions, billing and data exchange
- Design and implement event-driven architecture by publishing and consuming domain events via SQS, SNS and EventBridge, using Step Functions where orchestration is needed
- Maintain observability and reliability through structured logging, metrics and alerts with CloudWatch, trace propagation and error budgets
- Apply security best practices including least-privilege IAM, secret rotation, per-tenant isolation and audit logs
- Define infrastructure as code using AWS SAM and ship via GitHub Actions with automated tests and canary/blue-green deployments
- Define clear API contracts with frontend and AI services, and document runbooks and postmortems
Requirements:
- 4+ years operating on AWS with meaningful DevOps ownership — you have shipped and run production systems
- Hands-on experience with Lambda, EC2/Fargate, API Gateway, S3, DynamoDB, RDS (PostgreSQL), SQS/SNS/EventBridge, CloudWatch and KMS
- Infrastructure as code experience with AWS SAM including templates, pipelines and parameterised stacks
- CI/CD experience with GitHub Actions and automated testing using tools such as Jest/Vitest, Postman/Newman or Pact
- Strong backend development in Node.js/TypeScript (Go or Python also welcome) and solid API design skills across REST, with GraphQL a plus
- Strong data modelling skills including NoSQL vs relational trade-offs, partitioning, indexing and migration strategies
- Proven experience building and consuming webhook-heavy third-party integrations with idempotency and signature verification
- Experience integrating with payment gateways such as Stripe, Adyen or Braintree and handling PCI/DSS-compliant transaction flows
Nice to have:
- Event choreography with Step Functions, schema registries and outbox patterns
- OpenTelemetry/X-Ray tracing and cost and performance tuning for Lambda and RDS
- Experience with Cognito/OIDC, RBAC/ABAC and multi-tenant isolation patterns
- Familiarity with real-time delivery via WebSockets or SSE and streaming responses
- Background in building connector SDKs or integration marketplaces
Senior Full Stack Engineer (AWS Microservices & Integrations) employer: Narwhal Labs
Contact Detail:
Narwhal Labs Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Full Stack Engineer (AWS Microservices & Integrations)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the industry. Attend meetups, tech talks, or even just grab a coffee with someone who works at Narwhal Labs. Personal connections can make all the difference when it comes to landing that Senior Full Stack Engineer role.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio or GitHub repo, make sure it’s up to date with your best work. Highlight projects that showcase your experience with AWS, microservices, and integrations. This is your chance to shine and demonstrate what you can bring to the table!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview like it’s the Super Bowl! Research Narwhal Labs, understand their products, and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their needs. Think about specific examples from your past work that relate to the responsibilities of the role.
✨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, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the team at Narwhal Labs. Let’s get you that dream job!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Full Stack Engineer (AWS Microservices & Integrations)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior Full Stack Engineer role. Highlight your AWS experience and any relevant projects you've worked on. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Share your passion for building reliable systems and how you can contribute to our AI communications platform. Let us know why you're excited about this opportunity!
Showcase Your Projects: Include links to your GitHub or any projects that demonstrate your expertise in microservices, AWS, and integrations. We love seeing real examples of your work and how you tackle challenges.
Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. We can't wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Narwhal Labs
✨Know Your Tech Stack Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in AWS services like Lambda, EC2, and DynamoDB. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with these technologies and how you've used them in past projects. This will show that you can hit the ground running.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of challenges you've faced while building microservices or integrations. Highlight how you approached these problems, the solutions you implemented, and the impact they had on your projects. This demonstrates your ownership mentality.
✨Understand the Company’s Vision
Research Narwhal Labs and their AI communications platform. Be prepared to discuss how your skills align with their goals and how you can contribute to shaping their architecture. Showing genuine interest in their mission can set you apart from other candidates.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect to dive deep into technical discussions, especially around API design, event-driven architecture, and security best practices. Brush up on your knowledge of CI/CD processes and be ready to explain how you’ve implemented them in previous roles.