Backend Engineer

Salary: £40,000 - £50,000 per year Location: UK based. This is primarily a remote role with flexible working, and we also have an office in Birmingham if you're local and would like to use it. Contract: full time, permanent At Substrakt, we help arts and cultural organisations create exceptional digital experiences, and we’re looking for a Backend Engineer to help us do just that. We’re looking for a Python developer, ideally with experience of Django and Wagtail, to help us build and develop our Python platforms and products. It would be a real advantage if you’re also comfortable working with PHP and WordPress, as this would let you support our existing client websites too. As part of our Engineering and Design team, you’ll build reliable, high quality backend solutions that power our clients’ websites and digital products. From Substrakt’s own products, new website builds and custom integrations to performance improvements and ongoing support, you’ll work on varied technical challenges alongside colleagues who enjoy sharing ideas and solving problems together. Substrakt is an equal opportunities employer. We believe that diversity of thought and experience makes us stronger, and we actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. What you’ll do Build, deploy and maintain backend solutions: Work across new website builds, updates to existing websites, API integrations and server-side development, primarily in Python, Django and Wagtail, and contributing to our existing PHP and WordPress websites where needed. . Deploy to staging and production environments, following release processes and carrying out checks after deployment. Ensure quality, security and performance: Write clear, efficient code following secure development practices. Use manual and automated testing and take part in peer code reviews. Investigate bugs, optimise database queries and help keep our websites and applications reliable, responsive and secure. Collaborate and share knowledge: Work closely with other Backend Engineers, Frontend Engineers, Designers and Client Success Managers. Contribute to scoping, technical planning and solution reviews, maintain useful documentation and join client conversations when your technical input is needed. Take ownership of your work: Estimate tasks, communicate progress and flag issues early. Take responsibility for delivery and technical quality, with support from senior engineers on more complex challenges, and contribute ideas that improve how we work. Support our live services: Troubleshoot issues affecting live websites and applications, and participate in our out-of-hours on-call rota to respond to urgent incidents. You’ll cover up to eight one-week rotations per year, with an additional payment equivalent to 5% of your normal hourly rate for each hour of on-call cover, plus one additional day of…