Senior Backend Developer in St Albans

Location: hybrid with 1 to 2 days in the office in London, E1.

Salary: Competitive plus benefits

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday

What you’ll do:

We are looking for a Senior Backend Developer to join a growing product-focused engineering team. You will play a key role in designing, building, and scaling specific backend applications that support complex scheduling, operational, and data‑driven workflows. This role offers the opportunity to work on technically challenging problems, influence system architecture, and help shape engineering best practices within a mature but evolving platform. You’ll be working on systems that solve real operational challenges at scale, with the chance to make a tangible impact on both the product and the engineering culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain backend services using Python, Django, Graphene, and AWS Lambda.
• Build and evolve systems that handle complex business logic and constraints.
• Develop and maintain GraphQL and RESTful APIs for web, mobile, and third‑party integrations.
• Ensure high performance, scalability, and reliability of backend systems.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well‑tested code.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and long‑term technical strategy.
• Support and mentor other developers through code reviews and collaboration.
• Work closely with product managers, designers, and stakeholders to turn requirements into robust technical solutions.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong commercial experience as a backend developer using Python ideally within a start‑up or scale up environment.
• Proven experience building and maintaining API‑driven systems.
• Solid understanding of relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL).
• Experience designing scalable and maintainable backend architectures.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail.
• Familiarity with automated testing and CI/CD pipelines.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex technical concepts to team members and stakeholders.
• Willingness to learn FastAPI.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS).

Desirable Experience

• Experience working on scheduling, optimisation, logistics, or operational systems.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms (Azure, or similar).
• Experience with Docker and containerised applications.

Benefits

• Competitive salary: Reflective of your experience and the seniority of the role.
• Pension scheme: Helping you plan confidently for the future.
• Performance‑linked bonus: Bonus opportunities aligned to your level and contribution.
• Recognition schemes: Celebrate great work through our company‑wide recognition programmes.
• Private GP service: Fast, convenient access to private GP appointments when you need them.

Equal Opportunities Statement

At Ground Control, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We believe that diversity drives innovation and success, and we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic as defined in the Equality Act 2010. We actively support and promote an inclusive culture, ensuring fair and equitable treatment throughout the recruitment process and across all stages of employment, including training, development, promotion, pay, and termination. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and employees, and to creating a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, or victimisation. We expect all colleagues to uphold our values of dignity, respect, and inclusion. We take a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discriminatory behaviour and are committed to continuous improvement through training, inclusive policies, and accountability at all levels.