Senior Distributed Systems Engineer – Hybrid + Stock Options

Smarkets; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock Options

Pension Scheme

Health Insurance

Enhanced Parental Leave

Stay Fuelled: Breakfast and Lunch

Cycle-to-Work Scheme

Learning & Development: £1,000 budget

Holiday: 25 days + 5 carryover

Flexible Working: Hybrid 3/2

Global Working: up to 20 days/year

Team Socials & Hackathons

Job summary

Smarkets, a leading prediction-market technology firm, is seeking an experienced backend engineer to design and build scalable services in Python and Rust. You will drive distributed system architecture in cloud environments, push CI/CD best practices, and mentor engineers to elevate the team's technical excellence.

Join a high-performance culture with strong emphasis on collaboration, reliability, and impact, including hybrid working and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on backend systems.
• Familiarity with Python or at least one compiled language (Java, C++, Rust, Go) and are keen on learning Rust.
• Proven experience designing and building distributed systems in modern cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or similar).
• Deep knowledge of DevOps practices and tools, including GitLab and Kubernetes (K8S).
• Strong experience with message queuing systems (e.g., Apache Kafka) and relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL).
• Previous experience in Sports Betting or Finance industries is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in driving complex technical projects to successful completion.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and optimisation of backend services written in Python and Rust
• Architect and build scalable, distributed systems to meet the evolving needs of the platform
• Enhance system reliability through robust monitoring and alerting systems
• Drive and enforce best practices in code quality, testing, and CI/CD
• Collaborate with product managers and engineering teams to define and deliver complex, high-impact projects
• Mentor and guide engineers across the team, fostering a culture of technical excellence and growth
• Drive technical decision-making and contribute to the evolution of our backend architecture
• Ensure the performance and stability of critical services by implementing improvements with a forward-looking mindset

Skills

Backend engineering

Python

Rust

Distributed systems

Cloud environments

DevOps

Kafka

PostgreSQL

Kubernetes

GitLab

Leadership

Tools

Kafka

GitLab

Kubernetes

PostgreSQL

Job description

Smarkets, a leading prediction-market technology firm, is seeking an experienced backend engineer to design and build scalable services in Python and Rust. You will drive distributed system architecture in cloud environments, push CI/CD best practices, and mentor engineers to elevate the team's technical excellence.

Join a high-performance culture with strong emphasis on collaboration, reliability, and impact, including hybrid working and a comprehensive benefits package.