Backend Data Platform Engineer [Senior/Expert]

StorkJet; Katowice; On-site; PLN 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP)

Private healthcare

Multisport card

Flexible hours

Modern office environment

Job summary

StorkJet in Katowice is looking for a senior/backend engineer to work with aviation data. You will design and modernize backend services while optimizing data pipelines used by airlines. The role calls for strong expertise in Python or Java and significant experience with production databases.

As part of a friendly and dynamic team, you'll help improve architecture, build secure integrations, and innovate based on real-world data analytics. StorkJet offers flexibility, a modern office, and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of commercial backend/software engineering experience.
• Proficient in production databases and debugging.
• Ability to manage performance, reliability, and security.

Responsibilities

• Design and modernize backend services and data-processing components.
• Work on optimization of data processing pipelines.
• Collaborate with teams to design algorithms and workflows.

Skills

Backend engineering experience

Strong SQL skills

Production experience in Python

Experience with Java

Good communication skills in English

Tools

SQLAlchemy

Pandas

Docker

GitLab CI/CD

Job description

Python or Java | SQL | TB-scale flight data | Aviation AI

At StorkJet, we build software that helps airlines reduce fuel consumption and CO² emissions by processing high-volume flight and operational data. This is not a pure maintenance role. We are looking for a senior/expert engineer who wants to modernize and evolve production backend/data-processing systems, improve architecture, and work on performance-heavy data workflows used by airline customers.

You will work with real aviation data, including second-by-second flight recorder data, and help turn it into reliable products used by airlines, pilots, fuel-efficiency teams and operational experts.

What you will own

• Design, build and modernize backend services and data-processing components in Python and/or Java.
• Work on incremental rewrites and modernization of selected production systems, with a focus on reliability, testability and maintainability.
• Build and optimize batch and real-time data processing pipelines for high-volume aviation datasets.
• Work deeply with relational databases: query optimization, indexing, partitioning, schema design, bulk loading, migrations, data retention and performance monitoring.
• Build secure APIs and integrations with airline/customer systems.
• Improve observability, CI/CD and customer onboarding automation.
• Collaborate with backend engineers, data scientists, aviation experts and product people to design algorithms and workflows that optimize airline operations.

Our stack and technical area

• Python: SQLAlchemy, Pandas, data-processing scripts and services.
• Databases: MariaDB, SQL performance tuning, indexing, partitioning, query plans, schema design, migrations, replication, large-table operations.
• Data and integration: batch processing, real-time workflows, ETL/ELT, CDC/binlog-based processing, bulk data loading, data validation, data quality checks, idempotent pipelines, orchestration, Data Warehouse and OLAP workloads.
• Data domains we work with: flight and aircraft operational data, geospatial data, OpenStreetMap, weather data including ECMWF, currency and external reference-data feeds.
• Operations and observability: Docker, Linux, Bash, GitLab CI/CD, ELK, Grafana, application performance monitoring, logs/metrics/tracing, production troubleshooting.
• Infrastructure exposure: Ansible, VMware/Proxmox, networking basics, IPSec/VPN-based customer integrations, secure system-to-system connectivity.

What we expect

• 5+ years of commercial backend/software engineering experience.
• Strong production experience in Python or Java.
• Willingness to work across both ecosystems; expertise in both is welcome but not required from day one.
• Strong SQL skills and practical experience with production databases.
• Experience designing, debugging and improving systems running in production.
• Ability to reason about performance, reliability, data quality and security.
• Ownership mindset: you can break down ambiguous modernization work, propose trade-offs and deliver safely.
• Good communication skills in English, B2+.

Nice to have

• Experience with TB-scale relational databases, large tables, analytical workloads, partitioning, indexing and query optimization.
• Experience with high-volume ETL/ELT, batch processing, CDC, replication or binlog-based workflows.
• Experience with Kafka or other message/event-processing systems.
• Experience with Data Warehouse / OLAP concepts, data modelling, aggregation pipelines or reporting-oriented datasets.
• Experience with production observability, performance debugging, profiling, alerting and incident analysis.
• Familiarity with GitLab CI/CD and secure deployment practices.

What do we offer

• A real say in tech decisions and space for your ideas.
• Possibility to join the Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP).
• Training budget, language classes, internal tech talks, referral program.
• Flexible hours and a modern office in the heart of Katowice.
• Fully equipped kitchen (with an oatmeal station – we take breakfasts seriously).
• Private healthcare and/or Multisport card.
• Regular, unconventional company events, friendly atmosphere – we’re not a corporation.