Software Engineer - Backend (up to £160k)

Dex; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Dex partners with a leading company building AI software for real-time defence intelligence. The backend engineer will design features and infrastructure for mission-critical systems, addressing extreme conditions such as intermittent connectivity and embedded hardware, while working with a Rust and Python-based stack in a high-stakes environment.

Candidates should have strong backend experience with systems languages and distributed architectures, plus familiarity with REST/GraphQL/gRPC.

Qualifications

• Strong backend development experience in a systems language and distributed systems.
• Experience with edge computing or latency optimization.
• Familiarity with REST, GraphQL, gRPC/Protobuf, and data interchange formats.
• Proven ability to build robust, fault-tolerant backend systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement features, algorithms, and infrastructure for a mission-critical backend.
• Engineer for extreme conditions: intermittent connectivity and embedded systems.
• Ensure system robustness through testing and benchmarking.
• Contribute to a Rust and Python-based stack with open-source collaboration.

Skills

Distributed systems

Backend development

Rust

Latency optimization

Tools

REST

GraphQL

gRPC/Protobuf

Job description

This role is with one of Dex's trusted partner companies. We work closely with their teams to truly understand their culture, goals, and what they're looking for, so we can match you with the right opportunity and give you context about the role before you commit to a process.

The role

This company builds AI software for real-time defence intelligence. Their systems operate on semi-autonomous platforms, turning raw sensor data into actionable insights. The backend infrastructure faces extreme constraints: intermittent connectivity, embedded compute, low-bandwidth radios, and air-gapped networks where trust is never assumed. They're backed by leading investors and are one of Europe's fastest-growing companies. You'll join a team where reliability isn't a feature, it's the product. Your code will run in high-stakes environments, directly impacting people in critical situations. This isn't about scaling typical web services; it's about engineering robust, fault-tolerant systems for the most challenging operational contexts. Expect a culture built on rigorous RFCs, code review, and a shared commitment to unblocking colleagues.

The work

• Design and implement features, algorithms, and infrastructure for a mission-critical backend.
• Engineer for extreme conditions: intermittent connectivity, resource-constrained embedded systems, and untrusted networks.
• Ensure system robustness and reliability through comprehensive testing and benchmarking.
• Contribute to a Rust and Python-based stack, with opportunities to learn from prominent open-source contributors.
• Solve complex distributed systems problems where partial degradation and failure modes are the default.

What You Bring

• Strong backend development experience in a systems language (Rust, Java, Go, C++, or similar).
• Proven ability to build and operate complex distributed systems, with a focus on failure modes.
• Deep expertise in at least one area: edge computing, latency optimization, or platform engineering.
• Familiarity with backend interface tools like REST, GraphQL, gRPC/Protocol Buffers, and Arrow.