At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build scalable backend services in Python, focusing on high-availability workloads.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company with a collaborative and innovative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive pay, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by working on cutting-edge technology and mentoring fellow engineers.
- Qualifications: Experience in backend development with Python and familiarity with event-driven architectures required.
- Other info: Dynamic team environment with excellent career advancement potential.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
SC Clearance or eligibility for SC Clearance Essential
Backend Focus
3 month contract with scope to extend or go permanent
Key Responsibilities
- 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.
- Frontend contributions
- Contribute to frontend features using React/Next.js, Tailwind, shadcn/ui, TypeScript as required.
- Work with product and design to take features end-to-end, from API through to UI.
- Help maintain a pragmatic frontend stack with a focus on shipping over perfection, without compromising on security.
- Infrastructure contributions
- 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.
- Security and 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 and 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, API ergonomics.
Qualifications, experience and Skills
- SC Clearance or the ability to obtain SC (and later DV).
- Proven experience in professional software engineering, with a strong focus on backend development in Python and with event-driven architectures.
- Proven experience designing and operating production REST APIs with OpenAPI/Swagger.
- Comfortable working in a React/TypeScript codebase.
- Deep understanding of relational database design, indexing, performance tuning, and migrations (PostgreSQL).
- Proficiency with containerisation (Docker) and Git-based workflows.
- Familiarity with AWS core services (EC2, VPC, IAM, S3, ALB/ELB, ECR/ECS).
- 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 mentor, influence, and raise the bar for the team.
- Comfortable defining SLAs, making trade-offs explicit, and operating production systems.
Senior Full Stack Engineer in Harwell employer: The Business Gifts Co
Contact Detail:
The Business Gifts Co Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Full Stack Engineer in Harwell
✨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
Nail that interview prep! Research the company, understand their tech stack, and be ready to discuss how your skills align with their needs. Practise common interview questions and even do mock interviews with friends.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your projects! If you've got a GitHub or portfolio showcasing your work, make sure to highlight it during interviews. It’s a great way to demonstrate your skills and passion for coding.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who take the initiative. Plus, it gives you a better chance of getting noticed by our hiring team. Don’t hesitate, get your application in!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Full Stack Engineer in Harwell
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to highlight your backend development experience, especially with Python and FastAPI. We want to see how your skills align with our needs, so don’t be shy about showcasing relevant projects!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re the perfect fit for the Senior Full Stack Engineer role. We love seeing your personality come through, so feel free to share your passion for coding and problem-solving.
Showcase Your Projects: If you’ve worked on any cool projects, especially those involving REST APIs or event-driven architectures, make sure to mention them. We’re keen to see your hands-on experience and how you’ve tackled challenges in the past.
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. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about what we do at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at The Business Gifts Co
✨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/OIDC, and event-driven architectures. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you’re the right fit for the role.
✨Prepare Real-World Examples
Think of specific projects where you've designed scalable backend services or worked with relational databases like PostgreSQL. Be ready to explain your thought process, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them. This will demonstrate your problem-solving skills and practical experience.
✨Showcase Your Collaboration Skills
Since this role involves working closely with product and design teams, be prepared to discuss how you’ve collaborated in the past. Share examples of how you’ve translated product requirements into technical plans and mentored other engineers. This will highlight your ability to work cross-functionally.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the company’s tech stack, team dynamics, and future projects. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if the company is the right fit for you. Plus, it gives you a chance to engage with your interviewers on a deeper level.