Principal Engineer / Head of Engineering

ZipRecruiter; London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Principal Engineer to lead the migration of backend services from Flask to Django. This role involves building new APIs and services, optimizing database interactions, and implementing CI/CD practices. You will collaborate with product leaders to design scalable backend systems for high-volume enterprise use cases. Enjoy flexible remote work, a personal development budget, and opportunities for equity rewards while making a significant impact in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

25 days of holiday + bank holidays

1 fully paid volunteering day per year

Flexible remote work

Personal development budget

Regular team outings

Opportunity for equity reward

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend engineering experience, ideally with Django or Flask.
• Strong database skills and experience with query optimization.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain backend services using Django, PostgreSQL, and Redis.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs, ensuring clean architecture.

Skills

Django

Flask

PostgreSQL

AWS

API Design

Problem-Solving

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

GitHub Actions

Job description

Job Description

The Role:

We are migrating our backend from Flask to Django to improve our API structure, maintainability, and scalability. As our Principle Engineer, you will be responsible for building out new APIs and services while ensuring a smooth transition to Django. You’ll work closely with the founding team and product leaders to design, implement, and scale backend systems that support high-volume enterprise use cases.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain backend services using Django, PostgreSQL, and Redis.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs, ensuring clean architecture and maintainability.
• Collaborate with frontend engineers and product teams to define API contracts.
• Work on database modeling and optimization to support large-scale data interactions.
• Assist in migrating existing Flask services to Django, ensuring a smooth transition.
• Deploy, monitor, and optimize services using AWS (EC2, S3, CloudFormation, ECS).
• Implement CI/CD pipelines and DevOps best practices for automated deployments.
• Troubleshoot performance bottlenecks and improve system reliability.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of backend engineering experience, ideally working with Django or Flask.
• Experience designing and maintaining APIs, following best practices for scalability and security.
• Strong database skills (PostgreSQL ) and experience with query optimization.
• Hands-on experience with AWS services (EC2, S3, CloudFormation, ECS).
• Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, or other DevOps tools is a plus.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-moving environment.

Bonus Points:

• Experience with Flask-to-Django migrations or building Django-based APIs from scratch.
• AI API Integrations.
• Familiarity with Stripe, Google Pay for Passes, Apple Wallet, and APNS.
• Experience setting up CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, etc.).

Perks & Benefits:

• 25 days of holiday + bank holidays.
• 1 fully paid volunteering day per year.
• Flexible remote work—work from anywhere or join us in our Marylebone, London office.
• Personal development budget to support your learning.
• Regular team outings in central London and abroad.
• Opportunity for equity reward.