Backend Engineer - Data Acquisition

The Hotels Network; Oost-Vlaanderen; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work options

Health insurance

Pension plan

Lunch vouchers

Mobility budget

Company car

Referral bonuses

Net allowance

Job summary

Lighthouse in Ghent, Belgium is seeking a Backend Engineer for our Crawler Engineering team. You’ll design and develop high-performance Rust-based data acquisition systems that process billions of data points and support our proxy layer and browser tooling.

You will collaborate with crawler engineers, DevOps and Security to ship secure, scalable solutions and ensure code quality with tests and observability. Fluent English required.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience building production backend services in a cloud environment.
• Proficiency in Rust or C/C++, with strong capability to go deep in Rust.
• Solid understanding of how the web works under the hood: HTTP, TCP/IP, TLS and proxies.
• R&D mindset, curiosity about browser and network stack internals.
• Strong analytical and debugging skills; comfortable with packet captures and profilers.
• Clear communication and teamwork; fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop high-performance backend systems for data acquisition.
• Work on our in-house proxy layer and browser tooling for request routing and handling.
• Investigate crawler issues, test alternatives, and build robust, reusable solutions.
• Build clear interfaces and guardrails so AI agents can use what you build reliably.
• Own the quality of your code, including tests, observability, and maintainability.
• Collaborate with crawler engineers, DevOps and Security to ship secure, scalable solutions.

Skills

Rust

C/C++

Backend development

Cloud environments

HTTP/TCP/IP

Kubernetes

Debugging

English

Tools

TypeScript/Node.js

Python

Google Cloud

Job description

Our Mission: Why Lighthouse?

At Lighthouse, we’re on a mission to revolutionize commercial strategy as hospitality’s most powerful AI platform. We take the world's largest hotel data network and transform it into real-time intelligence that drives action. We don't just deliver insights; we empower businesses to make decisions that move revenue.

With $370M in Series C funding and over $100M in ARR, we are scaling at lightspeed. Our 850+ teammates across 35 countries aren't just building software—they are leveraging cutting-edge AI to help hoteliers be the first to act. Tens of thousands of hotels across 185 countries trust Lighthouse to execute their commercial strategy, including every one of the top 15 global chains and thousands of independent hotels that consistently outperform their markets. With Lighthouse AI, the intelligence gets deeper. Decisions get smarter. Actions get faster. We help hoteliers be first to act.

Lighthouse Values: Our guiding light

We are Lumineers. Our shared values keep us on a collaborative path fostering a cultural and customer centric environment

• Pursuit of greatness: We’re innovators who care deeply about our customers’ success. Our team brings their best work, stays curious, and delivers excellence through attention to detail
• Meaningful work matters: We make every moment count by knowing what to deliver, why it matters, and how it drives Lighthouse forward
• Elevate each other: We don’t just work together - we grow together. What unites us is understanding each other as people and working toward shared goals

We’re more than just a workplace – we’re a community. Collaborative, fun, and deeply committed, we work hard together to revolutionize the hospitality sector. Are you ready to join us and shine brighter in the industry’s most exciting rocket-ship?

Job Details

• Engineering
• Belgium - Ghent
• Full-Time/Hybrid

What you will do

You’ll join our Crawler Engineering team as a Backend Engineer focused on data acquisition. This is a building role: you’ll design and develop high-performance systems, mostly in Rust, that collect billions of data points from the web. The work sits where backend engineering meets how the web works: HTTP stacks, proxies and browser tooling. When a data source blocks an approach, you’ll dig into what’s happening on the wire and find another way forward. You’ll also help make our infrastructure “agent-friendly”, so other teams can safely build on it with AI.

Where you will have impact

• Design, build and improve backend systems for data acquisition that handle close to 200 million requests a day.
• Work on our in-house proxy layer and browser tooling: request routing, connection handling and protocol-level behaviour.
• Investigate hard crawler problems, test alternative approaches when one gets blocked, and turn what works into robust, reusable systems.
• Build clear interfaces and guardrails so other teams and AI agents can use what you build reliably.
• Own the quality of your code, including code written with AI assistance: tests, observability and maintainability.
• Work closely with crawler engineers, DevOps and Security to ship solutions that are secure and scalable.

About our team

The Crawler engineering team makes sure Lighthouse customers get fresh, high-quality rates, ranking and supply data. We handle close to 200 million requests a day across 200+ data sources, so the team carries a big responsibility for keeping our crawling infrastructure reliable, efficient and ahead of a web that keeps changing.

What's in it for you?

• Flexible working environment: Work from home or at one of our global offices.
• Flexible time off: Autonomy to manage your work-life balance.
• Collaborative team: High-bar, friendly, creative, and passionate colleagues.
• Career development: Workshops, frameworks, tools, training, and processes to realize your full potential.
• Impactful work: Shape products relied on by 85,000+ users worldwide.
• Mobility options: Mobility budget or company car (based on your job category).
• Competitive compensation: Proactively maintained to value your work.
• Net allowance: to support home office related expenses.
• Vouchers: lunch vouchers & eco vouchers.
• Comprehensive health insurance: Extensive coverage for you and your dependents.
• Pension funding: Group insurance to secure your future.
• Referral bonuses: Earn rewards for bringing in new talent.

Who you are

• You have hands on experience building, deploying and running production backend services in a cloud environment.
• You're experienced with a systems language such as Rust or C/C++, or you have a strong track record in another backend language and a real drive to go deep in Rust.
• You have a solid grasp of how the web works under the hood: HTTP, TCP/IP, TLS and proxies.
• You have an R&D mindset. You're curious about how browsers and network stacks work internally, you're comfortable with ambiguity, and you'd rather prove a hypothesis than assume it.
• You have strong analytical and debugging skills. You're comfortable with packet captures, profilers and reading other people's source code.
• You communicate clearly, share your opinions, welcome feedback and work well in a team.
• You're fluent in English.

Technologies you will work with

Rust, TypeScript/Node.js, Python, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, Prometheus, Grafana, Claude Code.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

Thank you for considering a career with Lighthouse. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that values equal opportunity for all. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. Our commitment to equality is part of our culture. If you require reasonable accommodation at any point during the application or interview process, please notify your recruiter.

Not ticking every box? No problem! We value diverse backgrounds and unique skill sets, and we encourage individuals from all walks of life to apply. If your experience looks a little different from what we’ve described, but you’re passionate about what we do and are a quick learner, we'd love to hear from you!