Sr. Backend Engineer (Contract)

Location: Remote (US time zones) Type: Contract-to-hire (full-time conversion for the right fit) Level: Senior About the role We're a fast-moving startup building API-driven marketplace products. We're looking for a Senior Backend Engineer with a strong track record of shipping production code to help us design, build, and scale the backend services and APIs at the core of our platform. This is a contract-to-hire role. We want to work together on real problems first, and convert to full-time when it's a clear fit for both sides. You should be someone who delivers reliable, well-tested code independently and can own features end to end. What you'll do Design, build, and maintain scalable, secure backend services and REST APIs. Own features end to end: from design and implementation through testing, deployment, and monitoring in production. Model, evolve, and optimize our PostgreSQL data layer (schema design, migrations, indexing, query performance). Integrate with third-party APIs and internal services, with a focus on reliability and clean error handling. Write automated tests and help maintain a high bar for code quality and reliability. Deploy and operate services in a cloud environment (AWS), including CI/CD and basic observability (logging, metrics, alerting). Collaborate with product, frontend, and other engineers to ship user-facing value quickly and iterate. Use AI-powered development tools (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, and similar) to accelerate delivery, improve code quality, and move faster without cutting corners. What we're looking for 5+ years of professional backend engineering experience with a strong record of delivering production systems. Strong proficiency in Python and modern API frameworks (FastAPI or similar). Solid experience designing and building RESTful APIs and backend services. Strong PostgreSQL (or comparable relational database) skills, including schema design and performance tuning. Hands-on experience deploying and running services on AWS, with containers (Docker) and CI/CD. Comfortable integrating third-party APIs and building fault-tolerant integrations. Solid testing habits and a pragmatic, quality-first approach to shipping. Able to work independently, communicate clearly, and deliver on commitments. AI-forward: you actively use AI coding tools in your day-to-day workflow and are excited about building with AI. We're an AI-forward team and expect engineers to lean into these tools to raise both their speed and their quality. Nice to have Experience with async Python (asyncio, async SQLAlchemy). Familiarity with AWS services such as ECS, RDS, SQS, and SES/SNS. Experience with marketplace, logistics, fintech, or workforce/scheduling products. Exposure to message queues, background workers, or event-driven systems. Startup or early-stage experience and comfort with ambiguity. Experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into production applications. Details Contract-to-hire: starts as a contract engagement with a path to full-time. Remote: US time-zone overlap required. Compensation: competitive contract rate, with full-time salary and equity on conversion.