Senior Backend Engineer (USA)

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Kalepa, your primary responsibilities will involve designing, building, and maintaining scalable and robust backend systems. You'll work with cutting-edge technologies and solve complex problems related to large data pipelines, machine learning models, and distributed systems. Collaboration with a global team of engineers is also key, ensuring the solutions you develop are efficient, fault-tolerant, and responsive to our clients' needs.

To be a strong candidate for the Senior Backend Engineer role at Kalepa, you should have a minimum of 5 years of software engineering experience, a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science or a related field, and strong coding skills primarily in Python, though experience in other OO languages is welcome. Proficiency with AWS, relational databases, and building RESTful APIs is also essential.

In the Senior Backend Engineer role at Kalepa, you'll engage with advanced technologies such as Python, AWS services including EC2 and Lambda, and relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL. You may also work with tools like Docker, Git, and frameworks including Flask along with libraries such as NumPy and Pandas.

Kalepa's culture is built around core values like hustle, customer focus, and transparency, making it a dynamic and engaging workplace for a Senior Backend Engineer. You’ll be part of a meritocratic environment where hard work is rewarded, and innovation is encouraged. Employees also enjoy global meetups and a supportive community that fosters professional growth and development.

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Kalepa, you can expect a competitive salary, significant equity options, and a comprehensive benefits package that includes 20 days of PTO, fully covered PPO medical, vision, and dental insurance for you and your family, along with a gym stipend, mobile phone bill coverage, and contributions to a 401(k) plan.

When discussing my experience with distributed systems, I emphasize specific projects where I designed and implemented scalable solutions. I focus on the architecture choices I made, challenges I encountered, and how I overcame issues related to fault tolerance and data consistency.

I typically begin debugging complex applications by reproducing the issue consistently. Then, I use logging and monitoring tools to gather insights. I prioritize understanding the application flow to identify where things may go wrong and work my way backward until I pinpoint the root cause.

In creating RESTful APIs, I adhere to best practices such as using proper HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), structuring URIs logically, supporting status codes adequately, and ensuring my APIs are well-documented. I also focus on designing APIs with scalability in mind and implementing version control for backward compatibility.

I have extensive experience using AWS services such as EC2 for hosting applications, Lambda for serverless architecture, and RDS for managing relational databases. I typically design solutions that leverage these services to optimize costs and improve scalability.

I follow coding practices such as writing clean, readable, and well-documented code. Additionally, I implement proper version control practices using Git, engage in regular code reviews with my peers, and prioritize writing unit tests to ensure my code is reliable and maintainable.

I stay updated with new technologies by following influential blogs, attending webinars, participating in coding communities, and completing online courses. Engaging with other professionals and following tech conferences helps me understand emerging trends and best practices.

One challenging problem I solved involved optimizing a data pipeline that was experiencing latency issues. I approached the problem by analyzing the architecture and implementing parallel processing which significantly reduced the processing time and improved system responsiveness.

To ensure code quality, I apply practices like test-driven development (TDD), conduct regular code reviews, and utilize linters and static analysis tools. Incorporating these steps increases collaboration and leads to cleaner, more efficient code.

I have experience with Agile methodologies, particularly Scrum and Kanban. This experience has taught me the importance of iterative development, frequent feedback, and adapting to changes rapidly within the project lifecycle.

I prioritize tasks by assessing the impact and urgency of each item on my to-do list. I utilize project management tools to help visualize timelines and dependencies, ensuring I stay organized and focused on delivering the most critical components of a project on time.