Backend Engineer

Senior Backend Engineer

Node.js, System Design & Production Platforms

📍 Mumbai (On-site) | Full-time | 5+ years

About the Role:

Unico Connect is an AI-first technology partner that builds custom mobile, web, and AI products for clients across multiple geographies.

We are hiring a Senior Backend Engineer to own the backend architecture of a complex production AI platform on a dedicated client engagement: API design and data modelling, multi-tenancy, orchestration of long-running agent workloads, and the services that manage user projects and generated output.

We are open to full stack engineers whose primary strength and interest is backend. If you have shipped full stack work but the backend is where you do your deepest engineering, you are a fit for this role.

The mandatory requirement for this role is hands-on production experience as a senior backend engineer building complex, scalable systems in Node.js, with end-to-end ownership of architecture, data, and operations on at least one live platform.

The role is hands-on and architectural.

Expect to design system architecture, lead a small group of backend engineers, build the hardest parts yourself, set engineering standards, and partner closely with frontend, AI, and DevOps engineers.

A typical week includes an architecture decision on a new service, hands-on implementation of a critical path, a code review with mid-level engineers, and a working session with the AI engineer on an integration contract.

Responsibilities:

System Architecture

Own the backend architecture across engagements.

Make and document decisions on service boundaries, data models, API contracts, deployment topology, and trade-offs.

Hands-on Backend Delivery

Lead by example on complex modules, performance-critical paths, and high-risk areas using Node.js (Express, NestJS, Fastify) with TypeScript.

Pick up Python (FastAPI) where engagements require it.

Database Design and Performance

Drive PostgreSQL schema design, indexing, query optimisation, migrations, and capacity planning.

Set the data-modelling standard across the pod.

Caching, Queues, and Workflows

Design caching (Redis), event-driven patterns (Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS, NATS), and long-running workflow orchestration (Temporal, BullMQ, Celery, or equivalent).

Handle retries, idempotency, and failure recovery.

Multi-Tenancy and Platform Patterns

Design and implement multi-tenant data isolation, RBAC, audit logging, and resource quotas appropriate to enterprise-grade products.

API and Integration Design

Set the standard for REST, GraphQL, and gRPC contracts.

Drive versioning, authentication (OAuth, JWT, SSO), security by default, and developer ergonomics.

Observability and Operations

Instrument services with OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, and Grafana.

Define SLOs, lead incident response, and write postmortems.

Code Quality and Mentorship

Run code reviews, define conventions, mentor mid-level engineers, and raise the engineering bar.

AI-Assisted Engineering Discipline

Use Claude, Cursor, and similar tools day to day.

Set the team standard for prompts, patterns, AI-assisted review, and validation of AI-generated backend code.

Client Engagement

Represent Unico Connect in technical conversations with customers.

Defend architectural decisions, communicate trade-offs, and manage scope.

Requirements:

Hands-on Production Experience as a Senior or Lead Backend Engineer in Node.js (Mandatory)

Must have personally built and shipped complex production systems in Node.js, owning architecture, data, and operations on at least one live engagement.

Full stack engineers whose deepest work is on the backend qualify.

POCs and internal tools alone do not qualify.

5+ Years of Professional Backend Engineering Experience

With at least 1 to 2 years in a senior or lead role with direct responsibility for technical decisions and team output.

Deep Node.js and TypeScript Proficiency

Strong with Express, NestJS, or Fastify.

Comfort with async patterns, streams, worker threads, and performance profiling.

Python as a Strong Plus

Hands-on production experience with FastAPI, Django, or Flask is a meaningful advantage.

Willingness and demonstrated ability to pick up Python as engagements demand is required.

PostgreSQL Depth

Schema design, normalisation, indexing, query performance, migrations, and at least one production system where you owned the data model end to end.

Caching and Event-Driven Architecture

Hands-on with Redis (or equivalent) and message queues or event-driven patterns (RabbitMQ, SQS, Kafka, NATS).

AWS Depth

Hands-on production experience with EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, VPC, ECR, and at least one of EKS, ECS, or Lambda.

Comfort owning deployment, monitoring, and cost.

System Design and End-to-End Ownership

Able to take an ambiguous problem, break it into components, evaluate alternatives, produce an architecture that holds up under review and load, plan execution, and ship with limited supervision.

AI-Assisted Engineering Experience

Daily use of Claude, Cursor, Copilot, or equivalent.

Strong discipline for reviewing and validating AI-generated backend code.

Excellent Written and Spoken English

Experience working directly with international clients.

Confident defending architectural choices in writing and in review.

Nice to Have:

• Workflow orchestration (Temporal, Airflow)
• GraphQL (Apollo, gRPC)
• Sandboxed execution environments
• Multi-tenant SaaS experience
• OpenTelemetry instrumentation
• Prior agency or consulting experience

🚀 We’re Hiring: Senior Python Backend Developer 🚀

📍 Location: Baner, Pune (Work from Office)

💰 Compensation: ₹6 LPA

🕑 Experience Required: Minimum 2 years as a Python Backend Developer

About Us

Foto Owl AI is a fast-growing product-based company headquartered in Baner, Pune.

We specialize in:

⚡ Hyper-personalized fan engagement

🤖 AI-powered real-time photo sharing

📸 Advanced media asset management

What You’ll Do

As a Senior Python Backend Developer, you’ll play a key role in designing, building, and deploying scalable backend systems that power our cutting-edge platforms.

Architect and develop complex, secure, and scalable backend services

Build and maintain APIs & data pipelines for web, mobile, and AI-driven platforms

Optimize SQL & NoSQL databases for high performance

Manage AWS infrastructure (EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, CloudWatch, etc.)

Implement observability, monitoring, and security best practices

Collaborate cross-functionally with product & AI teams

Mentor junior developers and conduct code reviews

Troubleshoot and resolve production issues with efficiency

What We’re Looking For

✅ Strong expertise in Python backend development

✅ Solid knowledge of Data Structures & Algorithms

✅ Hands-on experience with SQL (PostgreSQL/MySQL) and NoSQL (MongoDB, Redis, etc.)

✅ Proficiency in RESTful APIs & Microservice design

✅ Knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native systems

✅ Experience managing AWS-based deployments

Why Join Us?

At Foto Owl AI, you’ll be part of a passionate team building world-class media tech products used in sports, events, and fan engagement platforms. If you love scalable backend systems, real-time challenges, and AI-driven products, this is the place for you.

• Developing and maintaining all server-side network components.
• Ensuring optimal performance of the central database and responsiveness to front-end requests.
• Collaborating with front-end developers on the integration of elements.
• Designing customer-facing UI and back-end services for various business processes.
• Developing high-performance applications by writing testable, reusable, and efficient code.
• Implementing effective security protocols, data protection measures, and storage solutions.
• Running diagnostic tests, repairing defects, and providing technical support.
• Documenting Node.js processes, including database schemas, as well as preparing reports.
• Recommending and implementing improvements to processes and technologies.
• Keeping informed of advancements in the field of Node.js development.

What You'll Do


You will be part of our data platform & data engineering team. As part of this agile team, you will work in our cloud native environment and perform following activities to support core product development and client specific projects:

• You will develop the core engineering frameworks for an advanced self-service data analytics product.
• You will work with multiple types of data storage technologies such as relational, blobs, key-value stores, document databases and streaming data sources.
• You will work with latest technologies for data federation with MPP (Massive Parallel Processing) capabilities
• Your work will entail backend architecture to enable data modeling, data queries and API development for both back-end and front-end data interfaces.
• You will support client specific data processing needs using SQL and Python/Pyspark
• You will integrate our product with other data products through Django APIs
• You will partner with other team members in understanding the functional / non-functional business requirements, and translate them into software development tasks
• You will follow the software development best practices in ensuring that the code architecture and quality of code written by you is of high standard, as expected from an enterprise software
• You will be a proactive contributor to team and project discussions

Who you are


• Strong education track record - Bachelors or an advanced degree in Computer Science or a related engineering discipline from Indian Institute of Technology or equivalent premium institute.
• 2-3 years of experience in data queries, data processing and data modeling
• Excellent ANSI SQL skills to handle complex queries
• Excellent Python and Django programming skills.
• Strong knowledge and experience in modern and distributed data stack components such as the Spark, Hive, Airflow, Kubernetes, Docker etc.
• Experience with cloud environments (AWS, Azure) and native cloud technologies for data storage and data processing
• Experience with relational SQL and NoSQL databases, including Postgres, Blobs, MongoDB etc.
• Familiarity with ML models is highly preferred
• Experience with Big Data processing and performance optimization
• Should know how to write modular, optimized and documented code.
• Should have good knowledge around error handling.
• Experience in version control systems such as GIT
• Strong problem solving and communication skills.
• Self-starter, continuous learner.

Good to have some exposure to

• Start-up experience is highly preferred
• Exposure to any Business Intelligence (BI) tools like Tableau, Dundas, Power BI etc.
• Agile software development methodologies.
• Working in multi-functional, multi-location teams

What You'll Love About Us – Do ask us about these!

• Be an integral part of the founding team. You will work directly with the founder
• Work Life Balance. You can't do a good job if your job is all you do!
• Prepare for the Future. Academy – we are all learners; we are all teachers!
• Diversity & Inclusion. HeForShe!
• Internal Mobility. Grow with us!
• Business knowledge of multiple sectors

Looking for a Java Technical Architect/ Java architect with experience between 10 to 14 years.

Candidate must have experience  in Java technologies along with SpringBoot and Microservices.
Must have experience in Cloud Technology - AWS.
Must have experience in Angular 4 or above version.

Note: 1. Candidate must be ready to work in night shift.
          2. Looking only for Tamilnadu based candidates.