Backend Engineer

Senior Backend Engineer Data layer owner | Database migrations | Financial integrations Stack tags: Python · PostgreSQL · Alembic · Asyncpg · Redis · Azure Blob Role overview This is a specialist backend role focused on the data layer — not a general application engineer position. You will own database schema evolution, async data access patterns, caching strategy, and integrations with third-party financial and compliance APIs. The platform handles grant disbursements, so correctness, auditability, and compliance are central to the work. You will operate closely with the Senior Full Stack Engineer under the same technical leadership structure. Mandatory skills • Python (advanced, async) — the backend is Python throughout. You must be specifically proficient in async Python, as the data layer uses async patterns end to end. • Alembic (or equivalent) — explicit hands-on experience managing database schema migrations with Alembic or a directly comparable Python migration tool. Non-negotiable given the migration-heavy nature of the role. • Asyncpg — direct experience with this specific async PostgreSQL driver. The stack uses asyncpg rather than synchronous drivers or SQLAlchemy's async layer, so prior exposure matters. • PostgreSQL (advanced) — strong knowledge of query planning, indexing, transactions, and data integrity patterns appropriate for financial data. • Redis — solid working knowledge for session management and caching, including cache invalidation strategies and TTL management. • Background jobs & async task queues — experience building and debugging scheduled background jobs and async task queues (e.g. Celery, ARQ, or equivalent). Important but not mandatory • Financial / compliance API integration — experience integrating KYC, AML, or payment processing APIs such as BACS or open banking. The platform handles grant payments so this is highly relevant. • PostgreSQL Row Level Security (RLS) — knowledge of Postgres RLS for implementing fine-grained, policy-based access control at the database level. • Cloudpathlib / Azure Blob Storage — familiarity with Cloudpathlib for Azure Blob interactions, used for document and file handling in the platform. • FastAPI / Starlette — contextual knowledge of the web framework the data layer serves, useful for understanding how the API layer consumes your work.