Senior Backend System Engineer (Python / FastAPI)

Are you ready to bring order to chaos and build a robust backend from the ground up? Join a focused, agile team working alongside the CTO to revamp and restructure a cutting-edge platform. This role is perfect for a backend engineer passionate about clean architecture, modular development, and seamless system flows.

What You'll Do:

• Audit and review an existing Python/FastAPI/Gradio codebase to understand its current state and challenges.

Design and implement a clean, scalable architecture for:

Document ingestion pipelines Classification and routing mechanisms Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and embedding-based indexing Backend APIs for smooth interaction and integration

• Refactor the backend into well-organized, stable modules.
• Tighten authentication and refine project, user, and session management workflows.
• Shape and optimize a sensible database schema covering studies, articles, projects, users, and organizations.
• Collaborate closely with the CTO in a small but high-impact team.

What We’re Looking For:

6+ years of solid backend and systems design experience.

• Expert-level skills in Python and FastAPI.
• Proven experience structuring data processing or machine learning pipelines.
• Comfortable conducting codebase audits and delivering actionable architecture reports.
• Bonus points for experience with RAG, text extraction, and AI APIs like OpenAI or Anthropic.
• Preferably available full time, but a small part-time commitment (around 1/4 time) can be considered.

About the Team:

You’ll be working in a lean setup with just the CTO and yourself as the core engineering force — a unique opportunity to have a direct impact on shaping the backend foundation of a forward-thinking platform.

Hiring Process:

• A brief interview to get to know you.
• A live coding session to evaluate your approach to problem-solving.