
Senior Backend Engineer ((Python / Go)
RAPIDFORT · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $170,000 / year
- United States
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Job highlights
- Design and build scalable Go microservices.
- Work with Python frameworks like FastAPI.
- Deploy and manage services with Kubernetes.
- Handle production ownership and system design.
- Utilize Docker and advanced database technologies.
About the role
Senior Backend Engineer (Python / Go)
Overview
We are seeking a skilled and passionate Senior Backend Engineer to join our team, focusing on the design, development, and maintenance of high-performance, scalable microservices. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in Go (Golang), and a deep understanding of distributed systems architecture.
Essential Qualifications
Technical Skills
- Programming Languages: Python (Deep expertise with frameworks like FastAPI, Flask, or Django) - Advanced
- Programming Languages: Go (Golang) (Experience building robust, high-concurrency microservices) - Expert
- Microservices / Architecture: Designing, developing, and deploying RESTful APIs - Expert
- Databases: Realtime analytics (Clickhouse) - Advanced
- Databases: Relational databases (MySQL) including complex query optimization - Advanced
- Databases: NoSQL databases (Redis) - Advanced
- Containerization / Orchestration: Kubernetes for deployment and scaling - Advanced
- Containerization / Orchestration: Docker container build - Advanced
- Testing: Writing comprehensive unit, integration, and end-to-end tests - Advanced
Core Experience
- 7+ years of professional experience in backend software development, with a significant focus on building and operating microservices in a production environment.
- Proven ability to work with and contribute to large-scale, distributed systems.
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) for deployment, monitoring, and scaling.
Desired Qualifications
Process & Tools
- CI/CD: Experience setting up and maintaining automated deployment pipelines
- Observability: Proficiency with monitoring and logging tools
- Source Control: Expertise in Git and collaborative workflows
Architecture & Design
- Familiarity with event-driven architectures and streaming data processing
- Experience with security best practices in API design (e.g., OAuth 2.0, JWT, input validation)
- Knowledge of performance tuning and optimization techniques for both Python and Go applications
Key Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and maintain scalable and reliable backend microservices using Go
- Collaborate with product managers and front-end teams to define API specifications and integration points
- Ensure services are deployed, monitored, and scaled efficiently in a Kubernetes environment
- Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and planning sessions
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex production issues, ensuring high availability and performance
- Drive continuous improvement in development processes, tooling, and infrastructure
Must-have skills for a Senior Backend / Microservices Engineer (owner-level)
- Production microservices ownership: Has owned at least 1–2 services end-to-end (design → build → deploy → on-call → incident fixes → scaling). Comfortable with service boundaries, APIs, versioning, backward compatibility, SLAs/SLOs.
- System design & architecture (senior bar): Can design systems with tradeoffs: latency, throughput, cost, reliability. Patterns: idempotency, retries, timeouts, circuit breakers, async workflows, queues, eventual consistency. Data design: relational vs NoSQL, caching, indexing, migrations, multi-tenant considerations.
- Strong debugging & problem-solving in real-world scenarios: Can take an ambiguous production issue and drive it to resolution using a structured approach.
- Linux fundamentals (practical, daily-use): Confident with commands/tools like: ps/top/htop, journalctl, systemctl, netstat/ss, lsof, curl, grep/sed/awk, strace (bonus), log parsing. Understands networking basics.
- Docker + container runtime competence: Can explain Dockerfiles, layers, multi-stage builds, image size/security. Debug containers: env vars, volumes, entrypoints, networking, resource limits.
- Observability / logging / diagnostics: Strong in structured logging, correlation IDs, trace context. Metrics + tracing + logs as a system. Datadog experience is a must-have, or a very credible equivalent.
- Platform maturity: CI/CD, release processes, rollback strategies. Basic security and reliability hygiene.
Compensation & Benefits
- $140,000 – $200,000 USD per year (depending on experience and qualifications)
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Paid time off (PTO) and company holidays
- Flexible work arrangements
- Professional development and training support
- Performance-based bonuses (if applicable)
Key skills/competency
- Senior Backend Engineer
- Go (Golang)
- Python
- Microservices Architecture
- RESTful APIs
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- Distributed Systems
- Databases (MySQL, Redis, Clickhouse)
- System Design
Skills & topics
- Senior Backend Engineer
- Go
- Golang
- Python
- Microservices
- Backend Development
- Software Engineering
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- System Design
- API Development
- Distributed Systems
- Cloud Platforms
- CI/CD
- Observability
- Databases
- AWS
- Azure
- GCP
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your Go and Python expertise, microservices ownership, and system design skills.
- Showcase production experience: Emphasize your end-to-end ownership of services and experience with Kubernetes and Docker.
- Quantify achievements: Use numbers to demonstrate the impact of your work on scalability, performance, or reliability.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Brush up on system design, debugging, Go concurrency, and Linux fundamentals.
- Demonstrate ownership: Be ready to discuss specific instances where you drove complex issues to resolution.
Technical preparation
Master Go concurrency patterns.,Practice designing scalable microservices.,Deep dive into Kubernetes deployment strategies.,Review Python frameworks like FastAPI.
Behavioral questions
Describe owning a service end-to-end.,Explain a complex production issue resolution.,Discuss system design tradeoffs you've made.,How do you ensure service backward compatibility?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the salary range for the Senior Backend Engineer role at RapidFort?
- The Senior Backend Engineer role at RapidFort offers a competitive annual salary ranging from $140,000 to $200,000 USD, depending on your experience and qualifications.
- What are the primary programming languages for this Senior Backend Engineer position?
- The primary programming languages for this Senior Backend Engineer position are Go (Golang) with expert-level requirements and Python, where deep expertise with frameworks like FastAPI, Flask, or Django is expected.
- What level of experience is required for the Senior Backend Engineer role?
- This role requires a minimum of 7 years of professional experience in backend software development, with a strong focus on building and operating microservices in production environments.
- What is RapidFort's stance on work arrangements for this role?
- RapidFort offers flexible work arrangements for this Senior Backend Engineer position, indicating a potential for remote or hybrid work, though specific details would be clarified during the hiring process.
- What are the key technologies and tools used by the Senior Backend Engineer at RapidFort?
- Key technologies include Go, Python, microservices architecture, RESTful APIs, Kubernetes, Docker, MySQL, Redis, Clickhouse, and experience with CI/CD and observability tools like Datadog is highly valued.
- Does RapidFort offer benefits for its employees?
- Yes, RapidFort provides a comprehensive benefits package including a 401(k) retirement plan, health, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, and professional development support.
- What does 'production microservices ownership' mean for this Senior Backend Engineer role?
- It means you have owned at least 1-2 services end-to-end, from design and build to deployment, on-call support, incident resolution, and scaling. It also includes comfort with service boundaries, APIs, versioning, and SLOs.
- How important is system design and architecture knowledge for this role?
- System design and architecture knowledge is critical. You should be able to design systems considering tradeoffs like latency, throughput, cost, and reliability, and understand various design patterns and data design principles.