As a Senior Backend Engineer at Alma, your responsibilities will include designing and implementing server-side logic, maintaining databases, and developing APIs to support immersive and scalable features. You will collaborate with frontend engineers to ensure a seamless integration of user-facing elements while adhering to high-quality coding standards throughout the project lifecycle.

Alma seeks candidates with 5 or more years of backend development experience. Additionally, familiarity with developing products based on large language models or machine learning is essential. A strong background in Python, FastAPI, and PostgreSQL will also be highly beneficial in this role.

The salary range for a Senior Backend Engineer at Alma is between $180k and $250k, reflecting the expertise and skills required for this position. Furthermore, the role offers competitive equity and a flexible work environment to enhance your overall compensation and job satisfaction.

Yes, Alma offers flexible work arrangements for Senior Backend Engineers, allowing for both on-site and remote work. The company's emphasis on work-life balance means you can choose the setup that best fits your needs while contributing to our transformative mission in the immigration industry.

You will primarily work with Python, FastAPI, and PostgreSQL as part of the tech stack at Alma. Your expertise in these technologies will be crucial in building AI-native products that redefine the immigration experience for users. Familiarity with large language models and machine learning is also a key component of this role.

When responding to this question, focus on specific projects where you utilized large language models. Explain how you integrated these models within backend systems to enhance functionality and user experience. Highlight any challenges faced and how you overcame them.

To answer, describe techniques like caching strategies, rate limiting, and efficient querying that you would implement. Mention how monitoring and logging can be used to identify bottlenecks and continuously improve API performance.

Discuss your practices around code reviews, unit testing, and integration testing. Explain how engaging with your team for pair programming or leveraging CI/CD pipelines can contribute to maintaining high code quality standards.

Choose a project that showcases your analytical and problem-solving skills. Outline the problem, your approach to finding a solution, the technologies employed, and the impact of the solution on project outcome and team performance.

Share your method for task prioritization, whether it's using agile methodologies, setting deadlines, or involving stakeholders for feedback. Illustrate with an example from past projects where your prioritization led to successful outcomes.

Talk about implementing best practices such as data encryption, secure authentication methods, and regular vulnerability assessments. Explain how these measures are integrated into your regular development process.

Mention specific resources like blogs, webinars, courses, or conferences you follow. Highlight your commitment to continuous learning and how you've applied new knowledge to your work.

Detail the deployment steps including code branching, testing, staging, and production release. Emphasize the importance of monitoring post-deployment and rolling back if any issues arise.

Explain your collaborative techniques, such as joint planning sessions, shared repositories, and regular communication. Illustrate how this collaboration leads to a smoother integration of backend and frontend components.

Describe how good documentation enhances team communication and project handover. Share your approach to documenting APIs, architecture decisions, and code to facilitate easier onboarding and feedback loops.