SENIOR BACKEND & PLATFORM ENGINEER

Location: UAEEmployment Type: Full-timeExperience: 5+ years in Python production environmentsAbout the RoleWe are looking for a Senior Backend & Platform Engineer with strong hands-on experience building asynchronous Python backend systems, operating production infrastructure, and working with databases, messaging systems, observability tools, and local AI inference.The ideal candidate should be comfortable working end-to-end, from backend development and database optimization to Linux operations, networking, testing, security, and GPU-based LLM inference.Key ResponsibilitiesDesign, develop, and maintain high-performance backend services using Python 3.12.Build fully asynchronous applications using asyncio, FastAPI, SQLAlchemy Async, asyncpg, and Pydantic.Design efficient PostgreSQL schemas, queries, transactions, indexes, and connection pools.Analyze PostgreSQL query plans and optimize queries for large-scale/time-series datasets.Manage database migrations using Alembic.Work with TimescaleDB or other time-series databases where appropriate.Implement and maintain Redis for caching and messaging, including Redis Streams and consumer groups.Understand and handle failure scenarios involving message delivery, consumer groups, caching, retries, and service recovery.Manage Linux-based production environments independently, including:systemdDocker / Docker ComposecronjournaldReverse proxies and TLSSet up and maintain monitoring and observability using Prometheus, Grafana, and Loki.Develop comprehensive automated tests using pytest, including asynchronous fixtures and tests against real databases.Follow a testing approach focused on validating actual system behavior and outputs, rather than simply checking whether a service is running.Apply strong security practices across applications, infrastructure, APIs, databases, and networking.Deploy and operate local LLM inference on NVIDIA GPU hardware using technologies such as vLLM or llama.cpp.Work with CUDA, quantized models, GPU memory constraints, concurrency, and throughput benchmarking.Configure and troubleshoot networking infrastructure involving WireGuard, MikroTik, and VLANs.Apply statistical methods when evaluating system/model performance, including:CalibrationPlacebo/null testingShuffled-bar testingWalk-forward evaluationCoverage vs. accuracy analysisTroubleshoot complex backend, infrastructure, database, networking, and performance issues independently.Required Qualifications & Technical SkillsBackend Development5+ years of professional Python development in production environments.Strong Python 3.12 experience.Advanced understanding of asynchronous programming with asyncio.Strong hands-on experience with:FastAPISQLAlchemy AsyncasyncpgPydanticDatabaseStrong production experience with PostgreSQL.Excellent understanding of:Query optimization and execution plansIndexing strategiesLarge time-series datasetsTransactionsConnection poolingDatabase migrationsAlembicTimescaleDB or another time-series database is highly preferred.Messaging & CachingStrong Redis experience.Hands-on knowledge of:Redis StreamsConsumer groupsCaching strategiesFailure handlingRetry and recovery patternsLinux & InfrastructureStrong Linux administration and troubleshooting skills.Hands-on experience with:systemdDockerDocker ComposecronjournaldReverse proxiesTLS/SSLPrometheusGrafanaLokiTestingStrong experience with pytest.Experience writing asynchronous tests and fixtures.Ability to perform integration tests against real databases.Strong understanding of testing actual functionality and outputs rather than only implementation details.AI / GPU InfrastructureExperience running local LLM inference on NVIDIA GPUs.Experience with one or more of:vLLMllama.cppCUDAQuantized LLMsUnderstanding of GPU memory utilization, concurrency, throughput, and performance benchmarking.NetworkingPractical experience with:WireGuardMikroTikVLANsNetwork troubleshooting and configurationStatistics & EvaluationUnderstanding of statistical evaluation methodologies.Familiarity with:CalibrationNull/placebo testingWalk-forward evaluationCoverageAccuracyEvaluation bias and robustnessSecurityStrong security awareness in application and infrastructure development.Understanding of secure API design, authentication/authorization, secrets management, network security, TLS, database security, and safe handling of production systems.What We Are Looking ForStrong problem-solving and debugging ability.Comfortable owning systems end-to-end without relying on a dedicated platform/DevOps team.Ability to work independently in production environments.Strong understanding of system reliability, performance, observability, and failure recovery.Practical engineering mindset with a focus on measurable results.Ability to investigate problems deeply rather than relying solely on assumptions or surface-level monitoring.PreferredExperience with high-throughput or real-time backend systems.Experience with time-series data at scale.Experience deploying AI/ML workloads on local GPU infrastructure.Experience designing distributed systems and asynchronous architectures.Experience with production networking and self-hosted infrastructure.