Back-End Engineer

Kpler; Kentucky; On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Kpler is seeking a Core Backend Engineer in Kentucky to own backend services, streaming apps, APIs, and data pipelines from design to production. You will design and maintain scalable APIs using Java, TypeScript, and PHP, build real-time processing with Kafka/Flink, and integrate data into Snowflake, all while ensuring observability and reliability.

Bring 3–6 years of backend experience, a Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field, and strong Agile collaboration to a company committed to fair,

Qualifications

• 3–6 years of backend engineering experience.
• Experience designing and maintaining APIs and microservices.
• Production systems operations and incident investigation experience.
• Strong knowledge of AWS and Kubernetes in production environments.
• Bachelor's degree in CS or equivalent; fluent English.

Responsibilities

• Own backend services, streaming apps, APIs and data pipelines through design to production.
• Build real-time stream processing using Kafka Streams or Flink.
• Design and maintain scalable APIs exposing maritime data.
• Develop data pipelines consuming Kafka topics and persisting to Snowflake.
• Monitor health and performance of Kafka-based systems.
• Investigate incidents and drive root-cause analyses.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote high quality through code reviews.

Skills

Backend engineering

APIs

Data pipelines

Kafka

AWS

Kubernetes

Java

TypeScript

PHP

Scala

Agile

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Snowflake

Kafka

AWS

GitOps

Kubernetes

Job description

About the Role

At Kpler, we are dedicated to helping our clients navigate complex markets with ease. By simplifying global trade information and providing valuable insights, we empower organisations to make informed decisions in commodities, energy, and maritime sectors.

Since our founding in 2014, we have focused on delivering top-tier intelligence through user-friendly platforms. Our team of over 850 experts from 69 countries works tirelessly to transform intricate data into actionable strategies, ensuring our clients stay ahead in a dynamic market landscape. Join us to leverage cutting-edge innovation for impactful results and experience unparalleled support on your journey to success.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Service Ownership: Own backend services, streaming applications, APIs, and data pipelines from technical design and implementation through deployment, monitoring, and production operation.
• Stream & Pipeline Engineering: Build and evolve real-time stream processing applications using Java, Scala, Apache Kafka Streams, or Apache Flink to process data with high performance.
• API Development: Design, build, and maintain scalable APIs using TypeScript, Java, and PHP to expose maritime data to internal and external consumers.
• Datastore Integration: Develop reliable data pipelines that consume data from Kafka topics and persist it into target datastores like Snowflake.
• System Observability: Monitor the health, throughput, consumer lag, and error rates of Kafka-based systems to ensure reliable data delivery.
• Incident Management: Investigate production issues, participate in root cause analyses, and implement preventive measures to systematically improve system resilience.
• Technical Quality & Mentorship: Drive code reviews, share technical knowledge, reduce technical debt, and mentor junior engineers.

Experience & Background

• Core Backend Engineering: 3 to 6 years of professional engineering experience designing, building, and maintaining APIs and backend microservices using languages such as Java, TypeScript, PHP, or Scala.
• Data Pipelines & Event Streaming: Demonstrated experience building and operating data pipelines or stream-processing applications in production environments.
• Production Systems Operations: Hands-on experience operating production systems, including monitoring, troubleshooting, performance analysis, and incident investigation.
• Cloud & Operations: Working knowledge of AWS (e.g., IAM, S3) and experience running containerized services in Kubernetes via GitOps-style workflows.
• Education & Methodologies: Bachelor's degree (or equivalent professional experience) in Computer Science or Software Engineering, with strong Agile collaboration skills and fluent English communication.

Nice-to-haves

• Streaming Frameworks: Hands-on experience with Apache Flink, Kafka Streams, or building pipelines that consume Kafka topics and persist data across datastores.
• Quality & Observability Practice: Familiarity with Test-Driven Development (TDD) and improving distributed system observability using metrics, logging, tracing, and alerting.

We are a dynamic company dedicated to nurturing connections and innovating solutions to tackle market challenges head-on. If you thrive on customer satisfaction and turning ideas into reality, then you’ve found your ideal destination. Are you ready to embark on this exciting journey with us?

We make things happen

We act decisively and with purpose, going the extra mile.

We buildtogether

We foster relationships and develop creative solutions to address market challenges.

We are here to help

We are accessible and supportive to colleagues and clients with a friendly approach.

Our People Pledge

Don't meet every single requirement? Research shows that women and people of color are less likely than others to apply if they feel like they don’t match 100% of the job requirements. Don’t let the confidence gap stand in your way, we’d love to hear from you! We understand that experience comes in many different forms and are dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team.

Kpler is committed to providing a fair, inclusive and diverse work-environment. We believe that different perspectives lead to better ideas, and better ideas allow us to better understand the needs and interests of our diverse, global community. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives and are an equal opportunity employer.

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