Backend Engineer (Portugal-based Remote/Hybrid)

Sword Health; Porto; Híbrido; EUR 36 000 - 53 000; Tempo integral

Resumo da oferta

A leading health-tech company in Porto is seeking a Backend Engineer to build scalable systems that support AI-driven clinical features. The ideal candidate has over 3 years of experience in backend engineering and is proficient in Python. The position offers a competitive salary from €36,048 to €52,428 and flexible work options including remote work.

Serviços

Health, dental and vision insurance

Meal allowance

Equity shares

Flexible working hours

Discretionary vacation

Snacks and beverages

Remote work allowance

Qualificações

• 3+ years of professional experience in backend engineering.
• Proficiency in Python, with hands-on experience in frameworks.
• Solid experience with SQL and NoSQL databases.

Responsabilidades

• Architect and build scalable backend systems.
• Develop high-performance APIs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define requirements.

Conhecimentos

Backend engineering

Python

API development

Database management

Ferramentas

Django

Flask

Docker

Kubernetes

Descrição da oferta de emprego

Sword Health is on a mission to free two billion people from pain.

With 67% of members achieving a pain-free life and a 70% reduction in surgery intent, Sword uses AI Care to change lives for 25,000+ enterprise clients across three continents. Sword holds a majority of industry patents and has raised more than $400 million from top venture firms. Recognized as a Forbes Best Startup Employer in 2025, the company is in a phase of hyper growth and expansion as it scales its global impact.

Joining Sword means committing to a set of core values, chief amongst them to “do it for the patients” every day, and to always “deliver more than expected” on behalf of our members and clients.

This is an opportunity to make a significant difference on a massive scale as you work with 1000+ colleagues across three continents. Your charge is to help build a pain-free world, powered by AI, enhanced by people — accessible to all.

At Sword, we reimagine healthcare by combining cutting-edge AI/ML technology with personalized care. Our goal is to provide world-class clinical support at a scale never seen before, where each patient’s journey is as individualized as possible. As a Backend Engineer on the AI Team, you will play a critical role in building, scaling, and optimizing the infrastructure that supports our ML-powered clinical features, decision support systems, and upcoming innovations in Generative AI.

You’ll work directly with cross-functional teams to ensure Sword’s products are robust, scalable, and secure, empowering both internal and external users with seamless access to personalized, data-driven care.

If you’re a backend engineer eager to dive deep into AI, this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

What you’ll be doing:

• Architect, design, and build backend systems that transform our internal AI technology into a scalable, market-ready product;
• Externalize our technology with a focus on reliability, performance, and real-world usability;
• Work side-by-side with the AI team to turn cutting-edge research into enterprise-ready solutions;
• Design and optimize APIs, database schemas, and data processing workflows that seamlessly integrate with our AI/ML pipelines;
• Develop backend architectures that enable the efficient deployment of machine learning models in production;
• Work closely with the AI and Data teams to design backend architectures that enable the effective deployment of machine learning models at scale;
• Collaborate with the Product, Data, and Engineering teams to define technical requirements and deliver features that enhance user experience and overall system performance;
• Identify performance bottlenecks and scale our systems as user base and data complexity grow;
• Drive key technical decisions on infrastructure, tools, and best practices in a fast-moving, collaborative environment;
• Mentor junior engineers, promote best practices, and advocate for a high standard of code quality and testing.

What you need to have:

• 3+ years of professional experience in backend engineering, with a focus on building scalable systems and services;
• Proficiency in Python as the primary language for ML-powered systems, with hands-on experience in Python-based frameworks and libraries. A strong willingness to learn is valued;
• While Python will be central, you’ll integrate with various external systems and services, which may require working with other stacks as needed;
• Solid experience with databases (SQL and NoSQL) and optimizing complex queries and transactions;
• Proven experience in building and maintaining high-performance APIs;
• Strong understanding of software design patterns, microservices architecture, and cloud-native applications;
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment while handling multiple priorities and collaborating across teams;
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to break down complex tasks into manageable components.

What we would love to see:

• Experience in healthcare or health-tech domain;
• Familiarity with integrating AI/ML models into production systems;
• Experience with distributed systems and high-availability services;
• Strong proficiency in Python, including production frameworks (e.g. FastAPI, Django, Flask);
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures and messaging systems (e.g. GCP Pub/Sub, Kafka, RabbitMQ);
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing frameworks;
• Exposure to cloud platforms like GCP, Azure, or AWS, and containerized architectures (Docker, Kubernetes);
• Passion for solving challenging, high-impact problems in healthcare.

To ensure you feel good solving a big human problem, we offer:

• A stimulating, fast-paced environment with room for creativity and ownership;
• Career development and growth, with a competitive salary;
• The opportunity to work with a talented team on cutting-edge AI/ML applications that can transform healthcare;
• A flexible environment with remote work options and unlimited vacation;
• Access to health and well-being programs (digital therapy sessions);
• Remote or hybrid work policy.

€36,048 - €52,428 a year

This range includes base, variable and equity. These compensation bands are starting points; if you are an outlier talent, compensation can be adjusted to reflect impact. Job titles may span multiple levels; actual pay depends on skills, qualifications, experience, location, market demand, and other factors. Compensation details reflect base salary and potential variable, bonus, or stock options, if applicable. The pay range may change in the future. Sword offers benefits as listed below.

Portugal - Sword Benefits & Perks:

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Meal allowance
• Equity shares
• Remote work allowance
• Flexible working hours
• Work from home
• Discretionary vacation
• Snacks and beverages
• English class
• Note: This position does not offer relocation assistance. Candidates must possess a valid EU visa and be based in Portugal.

Sword Health complies with applicable Federal and State civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Color, Citizenship, Gender, Gender expression, Gender identity, Gender information, Marital status, Medical condition, National origin, Physical or mental disability, Pregnancy, Race, Religion, Caste, Sexual orientation, and Veteran status.