Backend Engineer

Aiven; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity plan

Hybrid work policy

Equipment stipend

Professional development budget

Wellbeing program

Global time off

Job summary

Aiven is seeking a Backend Engineer to join our ClickHouse-focused team in Helsinki. You’ll design and implement Python-based backend services and manage the ClickHouse service lifecycle.

You will operate in a modern async-first Python codebase and collaborate with engineers who value code quality, type safety, and automation. You’ll work in a small team, contribute to technical planning, ship features through established CI/CD pipelines, and fix production issues across the stack from Python

Qualifications

• Solid Python development skills with async patterns (asyncio)
• Strong understanding of relational and analytical databases
• Deep Linux knowledge (systemd, Fedora) and OS debugging
• CI/CD experience with Buildkite or similar
• Familiarity with automated testing (unit/integration/system tests)
• Experience using AI coding tools in workflow
• Awareness of distributed systems challenges across nodes/regions
• Fluent English in writing and speaking

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Python backend services for ClickHouse lifecycle management
• Work with CI/CD pipelines to ship code reliably and often
• Investigate and resolve production issues across the stack from Python to Linux
• Contribute to technical planning in a small team and influence roadmap
• Write well-tested, type-checked code and participate in code reviews
• Utilize AI coding tools to accelerate development

Skills

Python async

Databases understanding

Linux knowledge

CI/CD pipelines

Automated testing

AI coding tools

Distributed systems

Fluent English

Asyncio

Tools

Buildkite

GitHub Actions

Job description

We’re a global team of over 400 people, working together to push the boundaries of open‑source technology and multi‑cloud solutions. Our vision is to help developers, builders, and creators bring their ideas to life with speed and simplicity, by providing a cloud data platform that makes open‑source databases, search, streaming, and application infrastructure easily accessible to everyone.

The Role

We're looking for a Backend Engineer to join our small, focused ClickHouse team. You'll work on the systems that power our managed ClickHouse service – building, scaling, and operating infrastructure that thousands of customers depend on daily.

You'll write Python that orchestrates database lifecycle operations, dig into Linux internals when things get interesting, and ship features through a well‑established CI/CD pipeline. You'll work in a modern async‑first Python codebase alongside engineers who care about code quality, type safety, and automation.

If you have experience with ClickHouse internals or C++ – even better. But what matters most is strong backend fundamentals and a genuine interest in databases and distributed systems.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and maintain backend services in Python (FastAPI, asyncio, psycopg2) that manage the ClickHouse service lifecycle
• Work with CI/CD pipelines (Buildkite, GitHub Actions) to ship code reliably and often
• Investigate and resolve production issues across the stack – from Python application code down to Linux system behavior
• Contribute to technical planning within a small team where your input directly shapes the roadmap
• Write well‑tested, type‑checked code and participate in thorough code reviews
• Use AI coding tools as part of your daily workflow to accelerate development

What We’re Looking For

Must have:

• Solid Python development skills -- you write clean, production‑grade Python and understand async patterns (asyncio, aiohttp)
• Strong understanding of databases -- you know how relational and analytical databases work under the hood, not just how to query them
• Deep Linux knowledge (Fedora preferred) -- comfortable with systemd, process management, filesystem internals, and debugging at the OS level
• CI/CD experience -- you've built and maintained delivery pipelines, not just used them
• Familiarity with automated testing -- unit, integration, and system tests are part of how you work
• Experience with AI coding tools -- you actively use AI-assisted development in your workflow and understand how to get the most out of it
• Distributed systems awareness -- you understand the challenges of running services across multiple nodes and regions
• Fluent English -- written and verbal

Nice to have:

• ClickHouse experience -- operational knowledge, query optimization, or contributions to the project
• C++ or C -- ability to read and contribute to database engine code
• Cloud infrastructure experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) with Terraform or similar IaC tools
• PostgreSQL operational experience
• Software and network security knowledge

Why This Role

• Small team, big impact. You're not a cog -- you'll shape the technical direction of a product used at scale.
• Real engineering problems. Database orchestration, distributed systems, performance at scale -- not CRUD apps.
• Modern tooling. Strict type checking, automated formatting, security scanning, and AI-assisted development are the norm, not aspirations.
• Helsinki-based, hybrid. The team is in the office 3 times per week.

Global Benefits

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.
• Balance work and life with our hybrid work policy.
• Choose the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Use your Professional Development Plan budget for learning opportunities.
• Receive holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.
• Inquire about our Global Time Off Commitment (Parental and Sick Leave, as well as Personal Time)
• Enjoy country-specific benefits for our global cast. Solid Python development skills (asyncio, aiohttp), Strong understanding of relational and analytical databases, Deep Linux knowledge (Fedora preferred, systemd, process management), Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, Familiarity with automated testing (unit, integration, system tests), Active use of AI coding tools in workflow, Awareness of distributed systems challenges, Fluent English (written and verbal)