Senior Backend Software Engineer

Salary: £34,000 - 56,000 per year

Requirements:

• 6+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on backend systems
• Familiarity with Python or at least one compiled language (Java, C++, Rust, Go), and a willingness to learn Rust
• Proven experience designing and building distributed systems in modern cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or similar)
• Deep knowledge of DevOps practices and tools, including GitLab and Kubernetes (K8S)
• Strong experience with message queuing systems (e.g., Apache Kafka) and relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL)
• Previous experience in sports betting or finance industries is a plus
• Excellent communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated leadership in driving complex technical projects to successful completion

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development, and optimisation of backend services written in Python and Rust
• Architect and build scalable, distributed systems to meet the evolving needs of our platform
• Enhance system reliability through robust monitoring and alerting systems
• Drive and enforce best practices in code quality, testing, and continuous integration/delivery (CI/CD)
• Collaborate with product managers and engineering teams to define and deliver complex, high-impact projects
• Mentor and guide engineers across the team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and growth
• Drive technical decision-making and contribute to the evolution of our backend architecture
• Ensure the performance and stability of critical services by implementing improvements with a forward-looking mindset

Technologies:

• AWS
• Architect
• Backend
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• DevOps
• GCP
• GitLab
• Java
• Kafka
• Kubernetes
• Linux
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• Python
• React
• Rust
• Support

More:

We are Smarkets, a technology company running one of the worlds most sophisticated prediction markets, with over 29 billion in volume since 2010 and more than 200,000 traders globally. We build for scale, reliability, and speed using Linux, Kafka, Postgres, Kubernetes, Python 3, Rust, C++17, and React. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, including stock options, a pension scheme, health insurance, enhanced parental leave, fresh chef-made breakfast and lunch, a cycle-to-work scheme, a £1,000 annual learning and development budget, 25 days paid leave plus bank holidays, flexible hybrid working, and up to 20 days of global working each year. We are a diverse, driven, and ambitious team with regular socials, hackathons, and events, and we hire people who thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, and ambitious environment in our London-based hybrid Tech team.

last updated 36 week of 2026