Senior Backend Engineer

Hey Recruiting Agency; India; On-site; INR 350,000 - 650,000; Full time

Job summary

Hey Recruiting Agency in India is seeking a Senior AI Engineer to blend deep AI expertise with robust backend engineering on a Python stack. C/C++ experience is a major plus, CS/Engineering fundamentals are essential, and a startup mindset is valued.

The role focuses on building production AI features, evaluating new models, and designing scalable backend systems with a strong emphasis on performance and reliability, in a fast-moving environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience.
• Hands-on AI/LLMs experience and AI infrastructure.
• Strong Python backend engineering experience.
• Strong CS/Engineering fundamentals.
• C/C++ or low-level systems experience preferred.
• Understanding of distributed systems, concurrency, networking, performance, or OS.
• Experience building production APIs, databases, integrations, and scalable systems.
• Strong ownership and ability to work independently in a fast-moving environment.
• Startup/high-growth experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build production AI features using LLMs, agents, RAG, vector databases, inference, tool calling, and AI automation
• Evaluate and implement emerging AI models, inference platforms, frameworks, and developer tools
• Design, build, and scale backend systems, APIs, services, and integrations using Python
• Own features end to end, from architecture through deployment and iteration
• Debug, optimize, and improve system performance, scalability, and reliability
• Use AI coding tools extensively to improve engineering speed and quality

Skills

AI/LLMs

Python backend

CS fundamentals

Distributed systems

Ownership

Startup experience

C/C++

Backend engineering

Education

CS/Engineering degree

Tools

Python

C/C++

Job description

Working Hours: 9:30 PM - 6:30 AM IST (aligned with PST)

Preferred: Startup / High-Growth Technology Experience

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a Senior AI Engineer who combines deep, hands-on AI expertise with strong backend engineering. Our backend stack is primarily Python. We strongly prefer candidates with a Computer Science or Computer Engineering background and strong core systems fundamentals, with C/C++ experience being a major plus.

The ideal candidate is genuinely AI-native and highly curious - someone who actively follows the latest developments in AI, builds with new models and infrastructure, and stays plugged into technical communities such as X and GitHub. Crucially, this pull toward AI is intrinsic. It shows up in what they build and follow on their own time, not because a past employer required it.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Build production AI features using LLMs, agents, RAG, vector databases, inference, tool calling, and AI automation
• Evaluate and implement emerging AI models, inference platforms, frameworks, and developer tools
• Design, build, and scale backend systems, APIs, services, and integrations using Python
• Own features end to end, from architecture through deployment and iteration
• Debug, optimize, and improve system performance, scalability, and reliability
• Use AI coding tools extensively to improve engineering speed and quality

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 5+ years of software engineering experience
• Significant hands-on experience with AI and LLMs and modern AI infrastructure
• Strong, professional Python backend engineering experience - Python should be a primary language you have built and shipped production systems in, not a secondary or occasional one
• Strong Computer Science / Engineering fundamentals
• C/C++ or low-level systems experience highly preferred
• Understanding of distributed systems, concurrency, networking, performance, or operating systems
• Experience building production APIs, databases, integrations, and scalable systems
• Strong ownership and the ability to work independently in a fast-moving environment
• Startup / high-growth experience preferred

AI-NATIVE MINDSET: CRITICAL

We are not looking for a traditional backend engineer who has recently added AI to their resume. The ideal candidate is already deeply plugged into the AI ecosystem and knows what is happening across models, inference, AI infrastructure, agents, and developer tooling.

Most importantly, they are drawn to this out of genuine interest and curiosity, not because a job pushed them into it. They experiment with new models on their own, they have opinions on tradeoffs, and they keep up because they want to, not because they have to.

They should naturally be familiar with emerging platforms and models such as Fireworks AI, Baseten, GLM/Zhipu, and similar technologies, and actively follow their evolution through X, GitHub, research, and technical communities.

STRONG SIGNALS INCLUDE

• AI-related personal projects or GitHub repositories
• Actively experimenting with the latest models and AI tools
• An active technical presence on X and GitHub
• Strong curiosity about how systems work under the hood
• The ability to evaluate new AI technologies independently and form a point of view

IN SHORT

5+ years | AI/LLMs (hands-on, production) | Python Backend | CS/Engineering Fundamentals | C/C++ Preferred | AI-Native by Genuine Interest | Systems Mindset | Builder Mentality