Backend Engineer

Backend EngineerDepartment: EngineeringEmployment Type: Full TimeLocation: San Francisco / BostonDescription We're looking for a Backend Engineer to join Recentive's core engineering team. In this role, you'll architect and build flexible backend systems that support decision-making for leading organizations in sports, entertainment, and broadcast. You'll collaborate with engineers, data scientists, and client domain experts to design backend systems that prioritizes clarity, adaptability, and long-term maintainability. What You'll Be DoingDesigning Flexible, Extensible Systems : Architecting Python-based backend systems using Django, Django Rest Framework, and Celery, built to support a growing suite of enterprise analytical tools and applications across multiple domains.Owning the Full Backend Lifecycle : Developing APIs, modeling relational databases, and supporting application performance through smart caching, observability, and CI/CD workflows.Product-Aware Engineering : Collaborating directly with stakeholders to understand business goals, gather context, and define system requirements. You'll help shape solutions that balance technical design with real-world constraints, often in areas where problem definitions are still emerging.Collaborative Systems Thinking : Translating data science and optimization workflows into production-ready services that are easy to maintain and modify, coordinated through formal processes of technical specs and review.What We're Looking ForBackend Engineering Expertise : 7+ years of experience building backend systems in Python, with deep expertise in Django and Django Rest Framework, and a genuine enthusiasm for using these frameworks to craft elegant, reliable software.System Design and Architecture Skills : Experience designing systems that are easy to understand, extend, and compose, even when working with imperfect legacy code or evolving product needs.Async and Background Processing : Hands-on experience with Celery and building distributed systems that include asynchronous and long-running tasks. Comfort designing workflows with queues, retries, and failure handling.Cloud and Containerization : Proficiency with Docker, AWS, and Kubernetes, and an understanding of how to build backend systems that are cost-effective, observable, and production-ready.API and Data Layer Fluency : Experience developing RESTful APIs, working with PostgreSQL, and using tools like Redis and DynamoDB for caching and fast data access.Security and Authentication : Familiarity with OAuth2 and role-based access control. Experience integrating secure authentication flows and managing secrets responsibly.Self-Directed and Product-Aware : Ability to work through ambiguity, collaborate across functions, and make thoughtful engineering decisions without needing complete specs.Why Work at RecentiveImpactful Work: Our technology and products directly shape operational strategies at leading sports teams and leagues, broadcasters, and other key players in the live events ecosystem.Forward Thinking: Design and build forward-thinking analytical solutions that blend creativity and engineering—leveraging advanced algorithms, optimization, and machine learning to solve complex, real-world challenges.Collaborative Culture: We're a growing, tight-knit data-centered team that values knowledge-sharing, learning, and innovation.Growth & Ownership: Shape your career as a technical leader while helping build next-generation analytical tools from the ground up.Just Getting Started: We've accomplished a lot but we're just in the early innings of where we'll go. Our new west-coast office in SF is a testament to that growth and will serve as a hub for our growing team.