Job Description

Job Title: Senior Python (Django) Engineer
Location: Remote with 1 day per week office-based working
Reporting to: Lead Engineer
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: 37.5 hours p/w
Salary: Up to 55,000 per annum + pension + benefits
About TalentMapper
TalentMapper is an AI-powered talent intelligence platform helping mid-to-large enterprises solve their biggest workforce challenges: skills gaps, internal mobility, and retention. We replace static spreadsheets with a dynamic, 'skills-first' engine that uses machine learning to map career paths and match employees to opportunities.
It's personal for us - most of our team have faced and overcome barriers (such as social mobility) in organisations, based on our backgrounds and we are determined to create change, helping those in our reach to achieve their potential. We provide an end-to-end solution for managing talent. We are specialists in all things talent management and we know that talent technology in the workplace is the key to creating highly successful organisations.
Our Mission
TalentMapper was founded with a mission to improve talent management, removing traditional barriers to career growth and development and unleash the potential of all people in the workplace, so they can achieve extraordinary results.
Job Purpose
We are looking for an experienced Senior Backend Engineer to lead the architectural evolution of our platform. You will take ownership of the core API and data structures, helping us migrate from self-hosted databases to managed services and setting the standard for code quality and system design. You will play a key role in mentoring the team and bridging the gap between infrastructure and application logic.
Values Profile
All team members must have a personal commitment to unleashing potential in our society by aligning their behaviours to our values:

• Be innovative - seek and welcome new approaches to everyday tasks and behaviours.
• Be inclusive - understand, respect, and respond to the intersectional needs of our team and our clients.
• Challenge the status quo - question and evaluate existing structures and processes.
• Remove barriers - focus on efficiency and performance by eradicating bias and exclusive processes.

Here's what you'll do:

• Architectural Ownership: Lead the development and architectural evolution of our core Python/Django REST APIs.
• System Migration: Lead the migration of stateful services (Neo4j, MongoDB) from self-hosted to managed cloud-native solutions.
• Set the Standard: Enforce high engineering standards using SOLID principles and clean architecture to ensure maintainability.
• Mentor & Lead: Mentor junior/mid-level engineers, conduct code reviews, and elevate the team's overall code quality.
• Collaborate on AI: Work closely with the Product team to scope complex features, including our AI-driven matching engine.
• Build Robustness: Implement a core testing suite to ensure the platform is scalable, secure, and reliable.
• Modernise Infrastructure: Establish a robust CI/CD culture using GitHub Actions and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Experience Required

• Expert Python & Django: Deep professional experience building and scaling RESTful APIs.
• Software Design: A strong command of SOLID principles and common design patterns.
• Database Management: Strong SQL experience (PostgreSQL) and a clear strategy for migrating self-hosted databases to Cloud SQL.
• Containerisation: Proficient with Docker (creating images, docker-compose, and optimisation).
• Version Control: Advanced Git workflow knowledge, including branching strategies and rigorous PR reviews.
• System Migration: Proven ability to transition a platform from monolithic or outsourced code to modular, scalable services.

Skills Required

• Technical Leadership: Ability to make high-level architectural decisions regarding managed Cloud services.
• Communication: Strong ability to bridge the gap between infrastructure and application logic for non-technical stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: A proactive approach to identifying tech debt and decomposing complex systems.
• Mentorship: A passion for helping other engineers grow and fostering a culture of technical excellence.

Beneficial Skills (Nice-to-Haves)

• DevOps & Cloud: Hands-on experience with GCP, Kubernetes (GKE), and CI/CD tools.
• Graph Databases: Experience with Neo4j or other graph databases (Cypher query language).
• Data & AI: Familiarity with Pandas, ETL pipelines, HuggingFace, PyTorch, or NLP.
• Caching: Experience designing caching strategies with Redis.

Skills Required