Sr. Backend Engineer

Sphinx Defense (Headquarters: Remote (US Only), DC, Colorado Springs, LA)

Python Flask PostgreSQL ActiveMQ Docker AWS Backend API Security Space Satellite Communications National Security Defense Remote pipenv JSON Vault Linux Back End Engineer

Company: Sphinx Defense builds software to solve complex national security problems for America and its allies. We are building a vehicle-agnostic communication infrastructure for satellite operators. We're bootstrapped, profitable, and growing aggressively, with a strong focus on mission-driven engineering. Our culture values flexibility, autonomy, collaboration, and work/life balance, offering fully remote work within the US. We prioritize building secure, automated, intuitive, and functional software.

Role: As a Senior Backend Engineer, you will play a critical role in designing, developing, and maintaining the server-side logic and APIs for our cutting-edge satellite communications platform. You will work remotely on complex systems that handle real-time data, secure communication protocols, and integration with diverse antenna networks.

Responsibilities:
- Design, build, and maintain efficient, reusable, and reliable backend code and APIs using Python/Flask.
- Integrate with databases (PostgreSQL), message queues (ActiveMQ), and other backend services.
- Ensure the security, performance, quality, and responsiveness of applications.
- Collaborate effectively in a distributed team environment with front-end developers, DevOps engineers, and product managers using asynchronous communication tools (Slack, code comments) and video calls as needed.
- Implement security and data protection measures.
- Contribute to architectural decisions and technology choices.
- Participate in code reviews and potentially mentor other engineers.

Technical Skills:
- Strong proficiency in Python and backend frameworks like Flask.
- Experience with relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL.
- Familiarity with message brokers like ActiveMQ or similar.
- Understanding of RESTful API design and implementation.
- Experience with containerization (Docker) and cloud platforms (AWS).
- Knowledge of security best practices.
- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) is a plus.

Ideal Candidate:
- Proven experience as a Backend Engineer working on complex systems, capable of high productivity in a remote setting.
- Highly motivated and self-directed.
- Passionate about solving challenging technical problems.
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, crucial for remote collaboration.
- Interest in space technology and national security is a plus, but not required.
- Must be a US Citizen residing in the US.
- Eligible for US Security Clearance.