Application Open:
Full-Time
Job Purpose:
The Backend Engineer will drive the development of scalable, resilient, and future-proof backend systems. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including frontend engineers, QA, design, and Tech Team Leads, the role will advance our development stack and ensure scalability as we grow. This role involves designing and implementing robust technical solutions, championing code quality standards, troubleshooting code-related issues, and reviewing user documentation. The Backend Engineer will also architect flexible and compatible backend solutions, ensuring seamless integration across the platform. This role will lead to technical innovation, mentor team members, and shape the future of technology stack.
Key Responsibilities:
Design and Development:
- Plan, design, and implement technical solutions that are scalable, resilient, and future-proofed.
- Develop robust, efficient, and secure backend systems to support business requirements.
- Architect and build flexible and compatible backend solutions that integrate seamlessly with other systems.
Code Quality and Standards:
- Provide input on, follow, and evangelize code quality guidelines and standards.
- Conduct code reviews to ensure adherence to best practices, maintainability, and performance.
- Refactor and optimize existing code to improve scalability, reliability, and efficiency.
Troubleshooting and Debugging:
- Identify and troubleshoot application code-related issues, ensuring timely resolution.
- Monitor system performance, diagnose bottlenecks, and implement solutions to enhance performance.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve production issues and ensure system stability.
Documentation and Knowledge Sharing:
- Review and provide feedback on final user documentation to ensure accuracy and clarity.
- Create and maintain technical documentation for APIs, system architecture, and workflows.
- Share knowledge and mentor junior developers to foster team growth and skill development.
System Architecture and Scalability:
- Design and implement scalable backend architectures to handle growing user demands.
- Evaluate and integrate third-party tools, libraries, and frameworks to enhance system capabilities.
- Ensure compatibility and seamless integration with frontend systems, APIs, and databases.
Collaboration and Communication:
- Work closely with frontend engineers, product managers, and designers to deliver cohesive solutions.
- Participate in agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, stand-ups, and retrospectives.
- Communicate technical concepts effectively to non-technical stakeholders.
Security and Compliance:
- Implement security best practices to protect sensitive data and prevent vulnerabilities.
- Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
- Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement:
- Stay updated with emerging technologies, tools, and trends in backend development.
- Propose and implement innovative solutions to improve system performance and user experience.
- Continuously optimize backend processes to reduce latency and improve efficiency.
Testing and Quality Assurance:
- Write unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests to ensure code reliability.
- Collaborate with QA engineers to identify and resolve defects.
- Implement automated testing frameworks to streamline the testing process.
DevOps and Deployment:
- Collaborate with DevOps teams to ensure smooth deployment and CI/CD pipeline integration.
- Monitor and manage backend systems in production environments.
- Implement logging, monitoring, and alerting systems to ensure system health.
Other Duties:
- Perform all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.
Academic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, or related field.
- A postgraduate degree will be preferred.
Professional Experience:
Essential
- More than 5 years of experience in programming languages such as Java or C++.
- Minimum 5 years of proven experience in Web/Software/ML System development.
- Strong analytical problem-solving skills with expertise in Spring Boot.
- Experience building complex, high-quality applications with strong knowledge of Domain-Driven Design and microservice architecture.
- Proven experience working on high-traffic, large-scale web products is preferred.
- Deep understanding of enterprise software architectural patterns, including Microservices, SOA, and MVC.
- Proficient in applying best-practice Design Patterns and Design Principles to software architectures and algorithms.
- Strong knowledge of asynchronous programming, queuing, logging, security, and persistence.
- Experience with Test-Driven Development (TDD) and mastery of caching layers/strategies, including Memcached.
- Hands-on experience with monitoring/alerting/logging tools like Prometheus, New Relic, Datadog, ELK stack, and distributed tracing.
- Familiarity with containerization tools (Docker), container orchestration tools (Kubernetes), and cloud platforms like GCP and AWS.
- Proficiency in infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform and caching mechanisms.
- Solid understanding of build process management and continuous integration.
- Mastery of testing methodologies, including unit tests, component tests, and integration tests.
- Expertise in database technologies, including MySQL, PostgreSQL (knowledge of normal forms, ACID, isolation levels, index anatomy), and NoSQL databases like MongoDB and Redis.
- Experience working with modern front-end technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, React.js, and Flutter.
- Proficient in code versioning tools like Git/GitFlow and SourceTree.
- Strong proficiency in managing Linux environments.
- Experience working with modern software development methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, and XP.
Preferred
- Experience in higher education or research institutions, with an understanding of core research facility operations.
- Proficiency in data analytics for process optimization and continuous improvement.
- Strong English proficiency, with fluency in additional languages as a plus.
