Senior Backend & AI Engineer (Java/Python)

Nelnet Philippines Inc; Philippines; On-site; PHP 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Nelnet Philippines Inc is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead backend development in Java and Python while integrating AI features. You will mentor engineers, review solutions, and drive scalable, secure backend services. The role emphasizes architectural guidance and cross-team collaboration.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in RESTful APIs, databases, and AI concepts, contributing to long-term maintainability and high-quality delivery.

Qualifications

• Strong practical experience as a Software Engineer, Backend Developer, or AI/ML-focused Engineer.
• Strong experience with Python for backend or AI-related development.
• Strong experience with Java for backend or enterprise applications.
• Experience designing, building, integrating, and maintaining RESTful APIs and backend services.
• Strong understanding of backend concepts such as service integration, error handling, security, scalability, and reliability.
• Experience with SQL and relational databases; NoSQL exposure is a plus.
• Practical understanding of AI, machine learning, LLMs, prompt engineering, RAG concepts, vector databases, or DSPy.
• Experience working in Agile development environments and collaborating across teams.
• Ability to mentor engineers, provide technical guidance, and recommend improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, enhancement, and maintenance of backend services and APIs using Java and Python.
• Guide the implementation and integration of AI or machine learning features into applications.
• Review solution approaches and recommend future development options.
• Mentor less experienced engineers through code reviews, technical discussions, and shared best practices.
• Write and promote clean, well-structured, maintainable, and scalable code.
• Support testing, debugging, deployment readiness, and production-quality delivery.
• Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to clarify requirements and align technical decisions.
• Advocate for improvements in security, performance, reliability, and long-term maintainability.
• Help the whole team accomplish shared goals while continuously improving engineering practices.

Skills

Backend engineering

AI/ML-focused

Mentoring

Code reviews

System design

Security

Scalability

Agile

Tools

Java

Python

REST APIs

SQL

NoSQL

AI/ML concepts

LLMs

Vector databases

Job description

Nelnet Philippines Inc is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to lead backend development in Java and Python while integrating AI features. You will mentor engineers, review solutions, and drive scalable, secure backend services. The role emphasizes architectural guidance and cross-team collaboration.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in RESTful APIs, databases, and AI concepts, contributing to long-term maintainability and high-quality delivery.