Principal Backend Engineer (Architect Track)

TL;DR

Principal Backend Engineer (Architect Track) (Python/AWS): Evolving backend architecture for a high-scale online education platform with an accent on modular services, geo-distribution, and AI integration. Focus on designing high-load real-time systems, setting API/EDA standards, and balancing buy vs. build decisions for latency-sensitive live class infrastructure.

Fully remote (core hours GMT+3)

Company

Online English learning platform for kids with 100,000+ students and 2,500+ teachers across 15+ countries, running live classes 24/7.

What you will do

• Define backend architecture standards and major technical decisions across teams
• Lead transition from monolith to modular, service-oriented backend
• Design service blueprints including API conventions, EDA patterns, testing, observability, and deployment
• Architect cloud infrastructure on AWS and GCP for multi-region and geo-distributed setups
• Build and optimize high-load, real-time systems for live classes, focusing on latency, caching, and capacity
• Evaluate buy vs. build options, including managed services, no-code tools, and AI coding agents; deliver production code for critical components

Requirements

• 7+ years of hands-on backend engineering in Python
• Production experience with FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, Celery, Postgres, Redis
• Strong AWS architecture (EKS, Lambda, RDS, SQS/SNS/EventBridge); GCP knowledge a plus
• Experience with high-load, latency-sensitive, geo-distributed systems
• Pragmatic judgment on buy vs. build vs. assemble, treating managed services and agentic tools as viable options
• Deliberate style: research tradeoffs, document decisions, communicate clearly to all stakeholders

Nice to have

• LLM integrations in production (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google AI)
• Active use of agentic coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor)
• EdTech or high-scale consumer platforms

Culture & Benefits

• Fully remote with core hours GMT+3
• Unlimited holidays
• Bonuses and stock options
• Dynamic team focused on innovative AI-driven education products