Senior Backend Engineer

Summary

Join Sword Health, a Forbes Best Startup Employer, and become a Senior Backend Engineer on our AI Team. We're building a pain-free world through cutting-edge AI/ML technology, and you'll play a critical role in scaling our infrastructure. You will architect, design, and build backend systems, externalize our technology, and collaborate with cross-functional teams. This role requires 5+ years of backend engineering experience with proficiency in Python. We offer a stimulating environment, career development, competitive salary, flexible hours, unlimited vacation, and access to a health and well-being program. This position is remote or hybrid and based in Portugal; a valid EU visa is required.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in backend engineering, with a focus on building scalable systems and services
• Proficiency in Python as the primary language for our ML-powered systems, with hands-on experience in Python-based frameworks and libraries
• Solid experience working 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 technical priorities and collaborating effectively across teams
• Excellent problem-solving skills with an ability to break down complex tasks into manageable components

Responsibilities

• 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 our users’ experience and overall system performance
• Identify performance bottlenecks and scale our systems as our 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

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a 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 experience with Python-based frameworks and libraries used in production environments (e.g. FastAPI, Django, Flask)
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures and messaging systems (e.g. GCP Pubsub, Kafka, RabbitMQ)
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing frameworks
• Exposure with cloud platforms like GCP, Azure or AWS, and familiarity with containerized (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes) architectures
• Passion for working on challenging, high-impact problems in the healthcare space

Benefits

• A stimulating, fast-paced environment with lots of 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 have the potential to transform the future of healthcare
• A flexible environment where you can control your hours (remotely) with unlimited vacation
• Access to our health and well-being program (digital therapist sessions)
• Remote or Hybrid work policy
• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Meal allowance
• Equity shares
• Remote work allowance
• Flexible working hours
• Work from home
• Unlimited vacation
• Snacks and beverages
• English class
• Unlimited access to our Learning Platform