Senior Python Engineer
Summary
Senior backend engineer at Paychex's Paycor office in Serbia, owning end-to-end delivery of HCM platform features: Python on AWS serverless (Lambda, API Gateway, SQS/SNS, Step Functions), GraphQL APIs, event-driven services, and data modeling on DynamoDB/PostgreSQL, plus CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and mentoring other engineers.
Responsibilities
Own end-to-end backend feature delivery with Python on AWS serverless (Lambda, API Gateway, SQS/SNS, EventBridge, Step Functions).
Design, build and maintain clean, well-documented GraphQL APIs that power product experiences across the platform, with attention to schema design, versioning, performance and security.
Architect scalable, resilient distributed and event-driven services, including integrations with third-party systems, idempotency, retries and failure recovery.
Design and optimize data models and storage (e.g., DynamoDB, PostgreSQL/Aurora, S3), with a focus on data integrity, query performance and cost efficiency.
Work closely with Product and the Design Agency to define roadmaps and create epics and stories.
Collaborate on AI-powered features and intelligent automation services, with rigor in verifying AI-assisted work.
Integrate with and improve our fully automated CI/CD pipeline (CircleCI, GitHub Actions), including infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform, AWS CDK or CloudFormation).
Drive backend standards for security, observability and reliability, and mentor other engineers through design and code reviews.
Qualifications
5+ years of backend development experience, with a focus on Python and AWS serverless.
Strong experience designing and building GraphQL and/or REST APIs at scale.
Experience building and supporting distributed, event-driven systems, including integrations with third-party services and designing for resilience and failure recovery.
Solid knowledge of relational and NoSQL databases, data modeling and performance tuning.
Strong testing and clean-coding mindset (BDD, TDD, SOLID).
DevOps-aware mindset: CI/CD with CircleCI and GitHub Actions, infrastructure as code, observability with Datadog or equivalent, and rollback readiness.
Strong sense of production ownership, including deployment, monitoring, incident management and operational support.
Solid testing and verification mindset, with a focus on delivering reliable, high-quality software where accuracy and correctness are critical.
Understanding of application security best practices (authentication/authorization, IAM, secrets management, data protection).
Experience leading product delivery: roadmaps, epics, planning and collaboration.
Experience using AI-powered tools.
What's in it for you?
- A flexible work philosophy
- Company paid private health insurance
- Company paid life and disability insurance
- Paid leave for illness, birth parents, non-birth parents, elder caregivers, marriage, adoption of a child and bereavement
- Inclusive and accessible Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help with everyday challenges
- Christmas and Easter bonuses
- Opportunity for strengthening expertise and skills through Paychex’s learning platform, including lessons in English
Not sure if you meet every requirement?
At Paychex, we know that great talent comes in many forms. If you're passionate about the role but don't check every box, we still encourage you to apply. You might be the right fit - either for this position or another opportunity with us.
Paychex is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated fairly and evaluated based on their qualifications, experience, and merit. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment.
Skills
- AI
- API
- API Gateway
- Aurora
- Authentication
- Automation
- AWS
- BDD
- CDK
- CI/CD
- CircleCI
- CloudFormation
- Data Modeling
- Datadog
- DevOps
- DynamoDB
- Event Driven Architecture
- Eventbridge
- GitHub
- GitHub Actions
- GraphQL
- IAM
- Infrastructure as Code
- Lambda
- NoSQL
- Observability
- PostgreSQL
- Python
- REST
- S3
- Secrets Management
- Serverless
- SNS
- SQS
- TDD
- Terraform
