At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape and improve backend microservice development for faster, safer delivery.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company focused on engineering enablement.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic role with excellent career advancement potential in a supportive environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by enhancing the developer experience and driving innovation.
- Qualifications: Strong backend engineering skills, especially in Kotlin, and a collaborative mindset.
The predicted salary is between 58500 - 71500 £ per year.
- Backend Engineer - Platform
- Purpose of the role
We are looking for a senior-level engineer profile to join and strengthen the Paved Road initiative within Tech NL. This is not a classic product-team backend role
The purpose of this role is to help shape, standardize, and continuously improve the engineering ecosystem around backend microservice development so that developers can deliver business value faster, more safely, and with less friction.
Context of the assignment
The core vision of the Paved Road is to make it possible for a new developer joining a team to be able to deploy a backend service to production in approximately 20 minutes
, with all surrounding engineering concerns already properly arranged.
This includes not just deployment itself, but also the wider delivery lifecycle: architecture, coding conventions, CI/CD, security, quality, compliance, documentation, and Fin Ops awareness.
This role is therefore best suited for someone who combines strong backend engineering ability with an enablement mindset
: someone who enjoys helping other engineers, improving standards, driving adoption, and taking ownership of cross-team technical topics.
- folder structure and project setup
- architecture principles
- programming patterns
- coding conventions and coding style
- linting and quality guardrails
- CI/CD workflows
- Dev Ops supportability
- security
- testing and validation
- documentation
- compliance
- Fin Ops considerations
The goal is that engineers building product features should not need to reinvent all of this repeatedly.
Instead, the surrounding engineering foundation is prepared for them so they can focus on delivering product value.
The role is part of an engineering enablement setup rather than a traditional feature-delivery team.
The candidate will contribute to building and improving the paved road itself and, through that, support many development teams.
What this profile is expected to do
The candidate should be capable of owning and driving technical topics independently from discovery to alignment to implementation support.
Examples discussed in the conversation include topics such as
- integrating Kafka into the paved road so developers can choose it as part of service generation/provisioning
- helping define how data movement / DDP-related capabilities can be provisioned through the paved road
- contributing to topics like multi-tenancy
- working on backend standardization in a way that enables future modernization and smoother migration paths
- collaborating with adjacent paved road initiatives, including front-end paved road efforts where relevant
The intended user experience is that a developer can go through the paved road flow, select required capabilities such as Kafka or data-related components, press generate, and receive the necessary setup, permissions, and connections for the microservice.
This means the candidate must be able to
- investigate a topic independently
- align with multiple teams and stakeholders
- propose a sound solution
- document it properly, e. g. in ADR-style form where needed
- help drive organizational agreement
- support implementation and adoption
- Required technical profile
- Core must-have
- Strong backend engineering background
- Strong experience with Kotlin
- Good understanding of the JVM ecosystem
- Comfortable working in a mixed Kotlin/Java environment
- Able to work on backend microservices and engineering foundations rather than only business features
- Strongly preferred
- Understanding of microservice lifecycle engineering
- Experience with architecture principles, coding standards, and engineering best practices
- Experience with Dev Ops / CI/CD / workflow automation
- Experience with security, quality, testing, and validation in software delivery
- Familiarity with documentation and ADR-style technical decision-making
- Experience with platform-like or enablement-like engineering work
- Nice to have
- Full-stack capability is a plus, though not mandatory
- Front-end understanding can be valuable because backend and frontend paved road efforts may collaborate, especially in modernization scenarios
• Experience with topics such as
- Kafka
- multi-tenancy
- platform engineering
- modernization/migration programs
- standardization across teams
- Dev Ops expectations
- Dev Ops is not required at expert level from day one
- , but the candidate must be willing and able to learn and work with it
The expectation is not necessarily a pure full-stack or full Dev Ops engineer, but the candidate should:
- be comfortable using and managing workflows that support CI/CD
- understand operational/support implications
- contribute from a support and maintainability perspective
- grow into broader lifecycle ownership
- In short: Dev Ops depth is beneficial, but mindset and willingness to learn are essential
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Backend Engineer – Platform in London employer: Next Ventures
Next Ventures is an exceptional employer located in Birmingham, offering a dynamic and collaborative work culture that fosters innovation and professional growth. As a Senior SAP FICO Architect, you will not only lead transformative projects but also benefit from competitive opportunities for advancement within a supportive team environment, making it a rewarding place to build your career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Backend Engineer – Platform in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Next Ventures or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Next Ventures.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Next Ventures.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Next Ventures that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Backend Engineer – Platform in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Next Ventures.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Next Ventures and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Next Ventures
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Next Ventures uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
