Senior Python Engineer
Summary
Senior Python Engineer owning the backend and data-processing layer of Pathfinder, a data-intensive web app for strategic roadmapping and portfolio planning. Day to day: building scalable APIs and services on AWS, working with SQL databases, and applying caching, queuing and batch processing for performance at scale.
About the role
We are looking for a Senior Python Engineer to join a cross-functional product team and shape the digital experiences of tomorrow. You will be responsible for the backend and data-processing layer of Pathfinder, a complex, data-intensive web application for strategic roadmapping and portfolio planning. The position is focused on backend engineering, data processing, APIs, performance and scalability.
What you will do
- Work with AWS infrastructure and cloud services
- Apply caching, queuing, batch processing and other optimisation techniques where they are needed
- Write clean, testable, maintainable code backed by solid automated test coverage
- Investigate and resolve complex technical and performance issues
- Collaborate closely with the Solution Architect, AQA, Manual QA and Front-end engineers
- Design solutions with performance, scalability, reliability and maintainability in mind
- Build what the product actually needs and avoid over-engineering
- Weigh cost, performance and development effort when making technical decisions
- Question unnecessary complexity and look for pragmatic solutions
- Thrive in a lean, fast-paced, start-up-like environment where requirements keep evolving
What we are looking for
- 5+ years of strong commercial experience with Python and modern Python frameworks
- Ability to design and develop robust, scalable backend services and APIs
- Experience building efficient solutions for large-scale data processing, transformation and aggregation
- Strong knowledge of SQL and relational databases, including query optimisation and data modelling
- Experience with REST APIs, service integration and asynchronous/background processing
- Solid understanding of software architecture and engineering principles, beyond framework-level development
- Ability to analyse technical problems and choose the most suitable solution
- Confidence working with complex data models and business logic
- Strong focus on performance and efficiency, especially when processing large datasets
- Understanding of the trade-offs between simplicity, scalability and maintainability
Nice to have
- Strong engineering fundamentals, a pragmatic approach and a dislike of unnecessary complexity
- Readiness to take ownership of technically challenging backend and data-processing problems and deliver robust, efficient solutions that can grow with the product