Senior Backend Engineer (Remote)

Senior Backend Engineer – Kotlin, Python & Microservices

Location: Remote, UK (UK residents only)

Work arrangement: Fully remote

Experience level: 5+ years

Visa sponsorship: Not available

About the role

A technology-driven research platform is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to join its engineering team. You’ll work in a cross-functional environment with product managers, designers and other engineers to build and maintain scalable services for internal and external users.

The role combines hands-on backend development, technical design, service ownership and mentoring, with the opportunity to contribute to architectural decisions and engineering strategy.

Key responsibilities

• Design scalable technical solutions to complex business and product challenges.
• Develop, maintain and deploy backend services and contribute to wider platform architecture.
• Take ownership of services managed by the engineering team, ensuring reliability and ongoing improvement.
• Build and maintain Kotlin microservices, primarily using PostgreSQL, with some legacy Ruby on Rails services.
• Collaborate with frontend engineers working with React, as well as product managers and designers.
• Deploy frequently through CI/CD pipelines using CircleCI and Spinnaker.
• Monitor production services, identify errors, investigate root causes and implement fixes.
• Gather feedback and iterate on solutions to improve customer and internal user experiences.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the development of technical capability across the team.

Requirements

• 5+ years of software engineering experience within an established engineering team.
• Strong programming experience in at least one language; Python, Kotlin or Ruby experience is relevant.
• Ideally, experience working with relational databases.
• Demonstrable impact in previous engineering roles.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently.
• Proactive approach to overcoming technical challenges and delivering results.
• High attention to detail and commitment to code quality.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a high-performance, cross-functional environment.

A STEM degree is beneficial but not essential; equivalent practical experience is also welcomed.

Technology stack

• Backend: Kotlin microservices, Python, Ruby on Rails
• Frontend: React
• Database: PostgreSQL
• CI/CD: CircleCI, Spinnaker

What the role offers

• Fully remote working within the UK.
• Opportunity to work on a large-scale research technology platform.
• Collaboration with experienced engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Learning and development budget to build specific technical skills.
• Exposure to modern engineering practices and frequent deployment cycles.
• Opportunities to mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical direction.

Eligibility: Applicants must currently reside in the UK. Visa sponsorship is not available.