Software engineer (backend)
/ Remote
We’re currently seeking a Backend Developer to join us on this journey and help build the core backend and algorithms powering Mercury.
The Role
As our backend developer, you’ll play a central role in the evolution of Mercury’s architecture and features, focusing on building robust, scalable services and data pipelines.
You’ll work primarily with Python, FastAPI, and gRPC to design and implement APIs, services, and internal libraries. You’ll be responsible for modelling and managing data in relational databases like PostgreSQL, and your familiarity with OLAP databases, Delta Tables, or the Iceberg stack will be a strong plus as we grow our analytics and data platform.
You’ll collaborate closely with data scientists and machine learning engineers to turn prototypes into production-ready algorithms, exposing them via APIs and integrating them into our workflows. Knowledge of Rust or Go will be beneficial when working on performance-critical components and newer parts of the architecture.
If you’re passionate about backend development, algorithms, and data-intensive systems, and enjoy working in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, we’d like to hear from you.
Key Responsibilities
Design, develop, and maintain backend services using Python and FastAPI.
Implement and maintain gRPC APIs and internal services for reliable, high-performance communication.
Model, query, and optimize relational data, primarily with PostgreSQL.
Contribute to and maintain core backend libraries and shared components used across the platform.
Collaborate with data scientists and ML engineers to productionize algorithms, expose them via APIs, and ensure they run reliably at scale.
Support data ingestion, transformation, and querying for analytics and visualization (OLAP, Delta Tables, Iceberg stack is a plus).
Work with the frontend team to design and optimize data contracts, APIs, and performance for visualizations and dashboards.
Participate in our CI/CD and deployment workflows (Docker, GitLab CI/CD, Kubernetes) to ensure smooth releases and reliable operations.
Contribute to securing backend services using Keycloak for authentication and Nginx as part of the routing and edge stack.
Propose improvements to architecture, performance, reliability, and developer experience across the backend.
Requirements
Proven experience in backend development, with strong proficiency in Python and frameworks like FastAPI.
Experience designing and consuming APIs (REST and/or gRPC).
Solid understanding of relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL (schema design, indexing, query optimization).
Ability to design and implement efficient algorithms and write clean, testable, maintainable code.
Familiarity with Docker and containerized development.
Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines (preferably GitLab) and Kubernetes as a developer is a plus.
Knowledge of Rust or Go is a strong plus, especially for performance-sensitive components.
Experience or interest in OLAP databases and modern data lake/lakehouse stacks (e.g., Delta Tables, Apache Iceberg) is beneficial.
Basic understanding of authentication/authorization (Keycloak or similar) and Nginx is a plus.
Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work effectively in a remote, collaborative team.
Location
Full Remote (with periodic in-person meetings with the team in Milan).
Candidates must be based in Italy.
What We Offer
Salary range between 35k–50k gross yearly (negotiable based on experience).
Flexible working hours with an OKR-based evaluation mechanism.
Welfare bonus.
End-of-year bonus based on OKR achievement and performance.
Computer and business equipment.
Company retreats.
We will process your data with respect to your privacy accordingly to GDPR regulations.
