Senior Python Backend Engineer — APIs & Data Pipelines (Long-Term)

We're looking for a senior backend engineer for long-term work. What you'll work on: - API design and development (FastAPI) - Data pipelines, ETL, real-time processing (Kafka) - Database design and optimization (PostgreSQL) - Integrating AI services into existing backends - Production support and ownership of delivery Requirements: - 5+ years Python backend in production - PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka; cloud infrastructure (AWS or GCP) - You've owned a system end-to-end, not just tickets - Working English, EU or US timezone overlap - Engagement: hourly, 30–40 h/week, 6+ months. Screening question: Describe the highest-load system you've owned: requests or events per second, what the bottleneck was, and what you did about it. Skill tags: Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka, API Development, Data Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure