Senior Backend Engineer

Orbital

Backend Engineer designing and operating core systems for AI data centers at Orbital. Collaborate with researchers and engineers on AI-driven hardware solutions.

Posted 7/14/2026full-timeLondon • 🇬🇧 United KingdomSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in backend engineering, focusing on API design, data pipeline development, and system reliability. Proficient in programming languages such as Python and Go, with experience in cloud infrastructure and AI/ML environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Backend Engineering ExperienceAPI Design and DevelopmentData Pipeline ConstructionCloud Infrastructure ExperienceAI/ML Environment Familiarity

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

PythonGoRustJavaData ModellingSystem DesignDebugging Distributed SystemsEvent-Driven ArchitectureGraph DatabasesInfrastructure-as-Code

Soft Skills

Attention to DetailEffective CommunicationMentoring

Tools & Technologies

DockerKubernetesCI/CD PipelinesMessage QueuesCaching Layers

Industry Keywords

AIMLScientific ApplicationsTechnical DirectionEngineering Standards

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudDistributed SystemsDockerGoJavaKotlinKubernetesPythonRust

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and implement APIs, services and data pipelines that power the Curie platform, with a focus on reliability, performance and clean abstractions
Build and maintain integrations between our AI models, scientific tools and internal workflows
Own the full lifecycle of backend features from design through deployment, monitoring and iteration
Write well-tested, maintainable code and contribute to a culture of high engineering standards through code review, documentation and technical discussion
Improve system observability, reliability and performance — instrument, monitor and optimise the systems you build
Make pragmatic technical decisions that balance speed of delivery with long-term maintainability
Work closely with ML researchers, product engineers and domain experts to understand their needs and translate them into robust backend solutions
Contribute to architectural decisions and help shape the technical direction of the platform
Share knowledge, mentor peers and help establish best practices as the team grows

Requirements

What you’ll need

Backend engineering experience with strong programming skills
Proven experience designing, building and operating backend systems in production — APIs, data pipelines, event-driven architectures or similar
Strong fundamentals in at least one backend language (e.g. Python, Go, Rust, Java/Kotlin) and comfort working across the stack when needed
Experience with databases (relational and/or graph), message queues, caching layers and cloud infrastructure
A track record of shipping and iterating on software that real users depend on, with a strong sense of what makes systems reliable and maintainable
The ability to reason about system design, data modelling and engineering trade-offs — and to communicate these effectively
An ability to debug complex distributed systems through meticulous attention to detail, structured investigation and carefully chosen instrumentation
A genuine interest in building software that enables breakthrough scientific and industrial applications
Previous experience working in an AI/ML environment, familiarity with the workflows, tooling and pace of AI teams is a real advantage. Experience with graph databases, knowledge graphs or scientific data platforms. Experience with infrastructure-as-code, containerisation (Docker/Kubernetes) or CI/CD pipelines.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Orbital is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.