Middle+ Python Developer (for EU-based candidates)
Summary
Build and maintain a GRC platform’s Python-based backend microservices using FastAPI, async SQLAlchemy, and real-time Socket.IO features, while leveraging AI coding tools daily.
Phenomenon Studio is a boutique product design and development agency founded in 2019. We work with teams who’ve outgrown what they’ve built — from venture-backed startups to established market leaders — and own the work end to end: strategy, design, development, and post-launch.
The team of 70+ senior specialists is based in Europe, with entities in the USA, Estonia, and Switzerland, serving SaaS, fintech, healthcare, and EdTech. Across 120+ launches, clients have raised $500M+. Phenomenon is HIPAA-compliant, Nielsen Norman Group UX certified, and a Webflow Experts partner, holding a 5.0 rating on Clutch — and most clients come back for a second project.
Our customer is a GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance Assessment) platform designed to automate risk assessment, vendor management, and compliance with security standards. It streamlines complex GRC processes by centralizing data, enabling efficient reporting, and reducing manual workload.
The product is used by universities and public sector organizations in the US.
Team: Solution Architect, 2x Backend, 2x Frontend, QA, PM, PO, UI/UX Designer
Requirements:
4+ years of commercial backend development experience
Strong knowledge of Python 3.12+ and async programming (asyncio, async/await patterns)
Strong hands-on experience with FastAPI (dependency injection, Pydantic, middleware)
AI-assisted development as a daily practice - everyday, hands-on use of AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or equivalent)
Experience building AI agents and using Agent Skills
Solid experience with SQLAlchemy 2.0 (async), PostgreSQL (asyncpg), and Alembic migrations
Experience building real-time features with Socket.IO (or equivalent WebSocket frameworks) - rooms, namespaces, auth, scaling across workers
Experience with Redis and distributed task queues (Celery, or arq/dramatiq)
Understanding of multi-tenant architectures and data isolation patterns
Experience with JWT-based auth and role/permission-based access control (RBAC/ABAC)
Discipline around clean layering - clear separation between routes, services, and repositories (no SQL in the service layer)
Hands-on experience with AWS (ECS Fargate, RDS, ElastiCache, S3, Secrets Manager, IAM), Docker (multi-stage builds), and Bash
Experience designing and operating microservices (service boundaries, inter-service communication via internal SDKs, observability)
Experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform (AWS provider, module composition)
Strong experience writing unit and integration tests (pytest, pytest-asyncio)
Mentoring and code review experience
Strong communication skills and experience collaborating with stakeholders
Upper-Intermediate English level
Nice to have:
Experience with aioboto3 or other async AWS interaction patterns
Experience scaling WebSocket/Socket.IO deployments (sticky sessions, Redis adapter, horizontal scaling)
Experience with performance profiling and query optimization at scale
Experience with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)
Familiarity with uv(Astral) or other modern Python package managers
Understanding of cybersecurity principles
Knowledge of security standards (ISO 27000, SOC 2)
Experience with GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance) domain
Responsibilities:
Develop and maintain backend microservices using Python, FastAPI, and async SQLAlchemy
Use AI tooling daily to accelerate delivery - while owning the correctness, security, and maintainability of everything that ships, regardless of how it was generated
Design efficient database schemas, write performant queries, and manage schema evolution via Alembic
Build and maintain real-time features via Socket.IO - event flows, room/namespace design, and reliable delivery under load
Implement asynchronous workflows using Redis and Celery where appropriate
Contribute to the microservices architecture - propose improvements for scalability, reliability, and clear service boundaries; consume and evolve internal SDKs for inter-service communication
Work within a multi-tenant environment - build features that respect tenant isolation and scale across tenants
Provision and evolve cloud infrastructure on AWS via Terraform (ECS Fargate, RDS, ElastiCache, ALB, IAM), following IaC best practices
Collaborate with team members to align technical implementation with business goals
Deploy and operate services using Docker and CI/CD pipelines
Take initiative to identify improvements, propose technical solutions, and contribute ideas that enhance product quality, performance, and security posture
What we offer:
Remote work format and flexible schedule
Autonomy in work, opportunity to build processes, and grow within the company
Individual development plan and annual performance review
Workshops and playgrounds for continuous learning
Compensation for subject-matter training
Corporate English classes
Access to IT Loyalty Club
Accounting support
18 working days of annual leave
7 working days of sick leave and 7 working days of unpaid leave
All national public holidays off
Recruitment process: Recruitment interview — Technical interview — Final interview