Backend Engineer

About the Role:

We are looking for an experienced Backend Engineer to join our Next Generation System Management (NGSM) team as an external contractor.

The team develops a modern network management suite for ASTRO radio systems, combining an intuitive user interface with powerful, scalable backend services.

As a Senior Backend Engineer, you will design, develop, and maintain robust microservices that operate in a mission-critical environment. You will contribute to architectural decisions, drive technical discussions, and help ensure that our backend services are scalable, reliable, secure, and highly performant.

You will work closely with other engineers and cross-functional teams in an Agile environment, contributing your expertise to complex technical challenges and helping maintain a clean, maintainable, and scalable codebase.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable backend services and microservices using Java and Spring.

• Contribute to software architecture and make technical decisions for distributed systems.

• Develop and integrate event-driven solutions using Kafka and Azure Event Hubs.

• Design and optimize PostgreSQL databases and data access patterns.

• Deploy, operate, and troubleshoot services in Kubernetes environments.

• Work with Azure cloud services and cloud-native technologies.

• Analyze and resolve complex performance, scalability, reliability, and orchestration issues.

• Apply clean code, object-oriented design, and software engineering best practices.

• Participate in code reviews and technical design discussions.

• Collaborate with other engineers, architects, QA, DevOps, and product stakeholders.

• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices.

• Use Git and GitHub effectively within a collaborative development workflow.

• Leverage generative AI tools, including GitHub Copilot and Google Gemini, as part of everyday development, code review, troubleshooting, and problem-solving activities.

• Create and maintain technical and architectural documentation.

• Support troubleshooting and testing activities in laboratory and development environments when required.

• Mentor other engineers and contribute to the continuous improvement of engineering practices.

Required Skills & Experience:

• Strong professional experience in Java, preferably Java 21 or later.

• Strong hands-on experience with the Spring Framework / Spring Boot.

• Excellent understanding of object-oriented programming, clean code, and software design principles.

• Proven experience designing and developing microservices and distributed systems.

• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes and containerized applications.

• Practical experience with Azure or another major cloud platform, with Azure being preferred.

• Hands-on experience with Kafka and/or Azure Event Hubs.

• Strong knowledge of PostgreSQL, including database design and performance optimization.

• Experience with performance tuning and resource optimization of backend services.

• Strong knowledge of Git and GitHub workflows.

• Practical experience with Linux and scripting/automation.

• Good understanding of networking fundamentals, including protocols, routing, and network services.

• Experience with CI/CD and DevOps practices.

• Experience using generative AI tools such as GitHub Copilot and Google Gemini in software development workflows.

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.

• Good command of English, enabling effective technical communication and documentation.

Nice to Have:

• Experience working with mission-critical or highly available systems.

• Hands-on experience with laboratory environments, including system installations, configuration, upgrades, application reinstalls, and manual testing.

• Previous experience working as an external contractor or consultant within Agile engineering teams.

• Experience creating and reviewing complex architecture and technical documentation.

• Strong mentoring skills and confidence in leading technical discussions.

• Ability to quickly learn and adopt new technologies.

• Experience troubleshooting complex Kubernetes, orchestration, networking, or performance issues.

• Experience with additional cloud-native and observability technologies.

What You Can Expect:

• Work on a mission-critical network management platform supporting ASTRO radio systems.

• Opportunity to influence backend architecture and technical direction.

• Collaboration with experienced engineers and technical specialists.

• Exposure to modern technologies across cloud, Kubernetes, distributed systems, event-driven architecture, and AI-assisted software development.

• A technically challenging environment where engineering quality, scalability, and reliability matter.

Candidate Profile:

We are looking for someone who combines strong hands-on engineering skills with architectural thinking. You should be comfortable taking ownership of complex backend problems, challenging existing approaches when appropriate, and working collaboratively to deliver reliable solutions in a mission-critical environment.