Backend Software Engineer – Infrastructure, Foundations

Jobtailor; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking an experienced software engineer to design and build scalable distributed systems in a London-based role. You will work across the full software lifecycle, from idea generation and prototyping to production delivery.

You will collaborate with both technical and non-technical teammates to solve customer problems, build high-performance data processing pipelines, and contribute to open-source libraries, with emphasis on security clearance readiness and cloud infrastructure

Qualifications

• Engineering background in Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics or similar field
• Strong coding skills with proficiency in Java, C++, Python, Rust, or similar languages
• Familiarity with storage and data processing systems, cloud infrastructure, and other technical tools
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to iterate quickly with teammates, incorporate feedback, and maintain a high bar for quality
• Ability to learn new technology and concepts, even without in-depth experience
• Experience developing and managing highly-available distributed systems is beneficial, but not required
• Active US Security clearance, or eligibility and willingness to obtain one, is beneficial but not necessary
• Must work from the city and/or country in which employed if approved for exceptional remote work

Responsibilities

• Build software at scale throughout the product lifecycle from idea to production delivery
• Collaborate with teammates to understand customer problems and build solutions
• Build a performant search and indexing ecosystem for complex, permissioned data
• Contribute to open-source data processing libraries and integrate innovations
• Build distributed systems powering large-scale compute workloads and container scheduling
• Design architecture and APIs guiding application developers
• Implement tracing and performance observability in high-scale microservices
• Build reliable, scalable storage, authentication, and asset-serving systems
• Automate deployment, management, and operations of distributed systems including Cassandra, Elasticsearch, Kafka
• Develop foundational capabilities for Palantir Foundry and Gotham used by public/private institutions

Skills

Distributed Systems

Java

C++

Python

Cloud Infrastructure

Performance Observability

API Design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Cassandra

Elasticsearch

Kafka

Palantir Foundry

Gotham

Job description

• Build software at scale throughout the product lifecycle, from idea generation and design through prototyping and production delivery
• Collaborate with technical and non-technical teammates to understand customer problems and build solutions
• Build a performant search and indexing ecosystem for complex granularly permissioned data
• Contribute to open-source data processing libraries and integrate innovations for performance gains
• Build distributed systems powering large-scale compute workloads and efficiently schedule hundreds of thousands of containers hourly
• Design architecture and opinionated APIs that guide application developers
• Implement tracing and performance observability in high-scale distributed microservice architectures
• Build reliable, performant, and scalable systems for storage, authentication, and asset serving
• Automate deployment, management, and operations of distributed systems including Cassandra, Elasticsearch, Kafka, and more
• Develop foundational capabilities for Palantir Foundry and Gotham used by public- and private-sector institutions worldwide

Requirements

• Engineering background in Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics or similar field
• Strong coding skills with demonstrated proficiency in programming languages such as Java, C++, Python, Rust, or similar languages
• Familiarity with storage and data processing systems, cloud infrastructure, and other technical tools
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to iterate quickly with teammates, incorporate feedback, and maintain a high bar for quality
• Ability to learn new technology and concepts, even without in-depth experience
• Experience developing and managing highly-available distributed systems is beneficial, but not required
• Active US Security clearance, or eligibility and willingness to obtain one, is beneficial but not necessary
• Must work from the city and/or country in which employed if approved for exceptional remote work

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in building scalable software systems and distributed architectures, with strong coding skills in languages such as Java, C++, and Python. Proficient in automating deployment and managing complex data processing systems while collaborating effectively with diverse teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Distributed Systems Development
• Java Programming
• C++ Programming
• Python Programming
• Cloud Infrastructure Management

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Software Engineering
• Data Processing Systems
• Performance Observability
• Microservice Architecture
• API Design
• Container Scheduling
• Open-Source Contribution
• High-Scale Systems
• Automation
• Prototyping

Soft Skills

• Strong Communication Skills
• Team Collaboration
• Feedback Incorporation
• Quality Maintenance
• Quick Iteration

Certifications & Qualifications

• Active US Security Clearance

Industry Keywords

• Software Development Lifecycle
• Granular Permissioning
• Compute Workloads
• Public Sector Solutions
• Private Sector Solutions

Tools & Technologies

• Cassandra
• Elasticsearch
• Kafka
• Palantir Foundry
• Gotham