At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and improve backend services for innovative last-mile delivery solutions.
- Company: Join a profitable, independent tech company with a fully remote team.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible working, equity options, and generous holiday.
- Other info: Work autonomously with minimal meetings and excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on complex backend architecture in a supportive environment.
- Qualifications: Experience with large-scale backend systems and modern programming languages required.
The predicted salary is between 110000 - 110000 £ per year.
Located remotely (must live in UTC-5 to UTC+2 time zones to apply)
Salary £110,000
Working in the Engineering team
Want to ditch the commute, keep meetings to a minimum, and join a team of talented, experienced, and friendly folks? Do you do your best work when you have the freedom to work flexibly and the autonomy to make your own decisions and try new things? We are a profitable, independent company with a fully remote team working asynchronously across Europe, Canada, and South America. We’re building high-quality products for our users in the last-mile delivery space and working on solving complex, real-world problems for drivers, courier companies, retailers, and anyone who receives a delivery!
If you’re an experienced Backend Staff Software Engineer who enjoys working closely with product, design, and engineering - and you like tackling complex backend architecture challenges - we think you’ll be right at home here.
Work/life at Spoke
- Fully remote
- Flexible working
- Equity options
- Annual company performance bonus
- 32 days of paid holiday
- Enhanced PTO for parental leave
- Annual company events and meet-ups
We also make sure you have the tools, space, and support to do your best work:
- £3,200 every three years for a new laptop
- £500 a year towards new tech or your home office
- £1,000 a year for learning and development
- £1,000 a year for conferences
- £1,000 a year for wellbeing
If you’d like more info about our benefits or to get a better feel for how we work day to day, you can find more in our Public Handbook and on our Careers Page.
What you’ll be doing day to day
As one of a team of three backend engineers, you’ll work across the systems that underpin our products, and focus on reliability, security, and keeping things running smoothly in production. In practice, that means building and improving backend services, supporting distributed systems, and making sure we have the right observability approach in place, from logging through to alerting, so issues are easier to spot and quicker to resolve. You’ll take the lead across multiple backend components, whether that’s shaping system design, digging into complex production behaviour, or driving longer-term improvements to workflows, deployments, and platform performance. As the stack evolves, you’ll be part of conversations about new backend and cloud technologies and deciding what’s worth adopting.
What this role isn’t
A few things that are worth knowing up front:
- There are no daily stand-ups or lots of recurring ceremonies. On average, you’ll have one meeting a week, and the rest happens asynchronously.
- You won’t be handed a spec and asked to implement it without question. You’ll work closely with PMs and designers, ask the right questions early, and help shape the technical approach.
- It’s not a people management role. We don’t work in a traditional management structure, so leadership here comes through technical ownership, leading projects, and supporting the team as you go.
- And while we do like moving quickly, we don’t ship to hit an arbitrary deadline. The goal is to build things exceptionally well, stay pragmatic, and avoid creating future problems.
Job requirements
The skills and experience we need from you:
- Comfortable working with a high level of autonomy, while staying pragmatic, collaborative, and open to feedback
- Experience building and operating large-scale backend systems
- Experience designing and working with distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, infrastructure as code, and service reliability
- Experience with at least one modern backend language such as Go, TypeScript, Java, or Python
- Able to lead complex engineering initiatives and bring technical clarity to ambiguous problems
- A solid foundation in API design, data modelling, and scalable storage strategies
- Experience in diagnosing performance issues and supporting high-availability production systems
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, IaC, and modern deployment tooling
- Good technical judgement, and the ability to communicate decisions clearly and thoughtfully
The technology and tools we build with
- Programming Language: Node/Typescript
- Databases: PostgreSQL, Firestore
- Cloud Provider: Google Cloud
- Monitoring, Observability
Remote Staff Backend Software Engineer (Remote) employer: SPOKE
At Spoke, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer that champions flexibility and autonomy for our remote team. With a strong focus on work-life balance, we offer generous benefits including 32 days of paid holiday, equity options, and substantial support for your professional development and wellbeing. Join us to collaborate with talented individuals in a culture that values innovation and meaningful contributions while tackling complex challenges in the last-mile delivery space.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Remote Staff Backend Software Engineer (Remote)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or join relevant 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 or GitHub repository showcasing your projects and contributions. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do, especially for a backend role.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those interviews! Research common backend engineering questions and practice your responses. Be ready to discuss your experience with distributed systems and cloud-native architectures.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, you’ll find all the info about our culture and benefits there!
We think you need these skills to ace Remote Staff Backend Software Engineer (Remote)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match our job description. Highlight your experience with backend systems, cloud-native architectures, and any relevant programming languages like Go or Python. We want to see how you can contribute to our team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to show us your personality and passion for the role. Share why you're excited about working with us at StudySmarter and how your background aligns with our mission. Keep it concise but engaging!
Showcase Your Projects:If you've worked on interesting projects, especially those involving distributed systems or complex backend challenges, make sure to mention them! We love seeing real-world applications of your skills, so don’t hold back on sharing your achievements.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, you’ll find more info about our culture and benefits there, which can help you tailor your application even further!
How to prepare for a job interview at SPOKE
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, like Node/Typescript and PostgreSQL. Brush up on your knowledge of distributed systems and cloud-native architectures, as these will likely come up during technical discussions.
✨Showcase Your Autonomy
Since this role requires a high level of autonomy, prepare examples from your past experiences where you successfully worked independently. Highlight how you tackled complex problems and made decisions without constant oversight.
✨Prepare for Collaborative Scenarios
Even though the company values autonomy, collaboration is key. Think of instances where you worked closely with product managers or designers. Be ready to discuss how you shaped technical approaches through effective communication and teamwork.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Interviews are a two-way street! Prepare thoughtful questions about the team’s current challenges, their approach to system design, or how they handle observability. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you gauge if it’s the right fit for you.
