Lead Backend Software Engineer - Python/Kotlin/AWS

Kelly Services Inc.
Waltham, MA, United States
7 days ago
Apply on www.techcareers.com
Prepare application

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Experience level
Expert
Experience required
2 years minimum
Compensation
$173,000.0 - $234,000.0
Working hours
Regular working hours

Tech stack

Artificial Intelligence Amazon Web Services Cloud Engineering Code Review Distributed Systems Gradle Python (Programming Language) Apache Maven Performance Tuning Systems Development Life Cycle Software Deployment Software Engineering
+16 more
Systems Architecture Application Enhancement Tool Delivery Pipeline Reliability of Systems Backend Cloudformation Kotlin Kubernetes Infrastructure Automation Frameworks Information Technology Production Code Build Tools Codebase Virtual Agents Terraform Microservices

Job description

  • Lead a team of backend engineers while remaining an active contributor to the codebase
  • Design, build, and scale cloud-native backend services using Python and Kotlin
  • Architect and optimize AWS-based distributed systems
  • Drive delivery of production-ready software in an environment where code is released continuously throughout the day
  • Champion engineering best practices including testing, observability, reliability, and operational excellence
  • Mentor and develop engineers through technical guidance, code reviews, and career coaching
  • Partner with product, platform, and engineering leaders to define technical roadmaps
  • Implement AI-driven capabilities and automate software development lifecycle processes
  • Improve developer productivity through enhanced tooling, automation, and platform capabilities
  • Ensure system reliability, scalability, security, and performance across all services

Requirements

  • 10+ years of experience in Backend Software Engineering
  • 2+ years of experience leading or managing software engineering teams
  • Expert-level proficiency with Python and modern backend development practices
  • Professional experience with Kotlin in production environments
  • Strong AWS cloud platform experience, including designing and operating distributed systems
  • Experience building and supporting highly available, scalable microservices architectures
  • Hands-on engineering leader who actively contributes production code
  • Experience working in fast-paced environments with frequent production deployments
  • Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, and cloud-native engineering
  • Strong understanding of software design, system architecture, observability, and performance optimization
  • Experience mentoring engineers and driving technical excellence across teams
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

Desired Skills & Experience

  • Experience leading platform engineering, developer experience (DevEx), or infrastructure-focused teams
  • AI/ML experience, including implementing AI-powered tools, workflows, or products
  • Experience with Agentic AI, AI-assisted software development, or SDLC automation
  • Kubernetes (K8s) experience
  • Infrastructure-as-Code experience (Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar)
  • Experience with build tools such as Maven, Gradle, or Nx
  • Familiarity with testing frameworks and modern observability platforms
  • Experience working with globally distributed engineering teams

Benefits & conditions

  • Base Salary: $173,000 - $234,000
  • Annual performance-based bonus opportunity
  • Hybrid work model in Waltham, MA
  • Opportunity to help shape the future of AI-enabled software engineering and platform development
  • Leadership position with significant technical influence and growth opportunities

You will receive the following benefits

  • Medical Insurance
  • Dental Benefits
  • Vision Benefits
  • Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • 401(k)
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • Parental Leave

About the company

Motion Recruitment Partners (MRP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants must be currently authorized to work on a full-time basis in the country for which they are applying, and no sponsorship is currently available. Employment is subject to the successful completion of a pre-employment screening. Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under MRP’s Employment Accommodation policy. Applicants need to make their needs known in advance.

Apply for this position

This job is hosted externally. Click below to view the full posting and apply.

Apply on www.techcareers.com
Prepare application

Good distractions

Talks and stories from around this role — technically off-topic, practically not.

1:55 min

Hiring backend developers with strong cultural fit

Stefan Lingler Stefan Lingler +1 · Coffee With Developers

5:51 min

Understanding build structure and core Gradle plugins

Amanda Martin · LIVE

3:09 min

Understanding Kotlin Multiplatform and its compiler targets

Petar Marijanović · LIVE

1:52 min

Structuring and scaling the backend engineering team

Stefan Lingler Stefan Lingler +1 · Coffee With Developers

1:38 min

Transitioning into backend engineering from web development

Stefan Lingler Stefan Lingler +1 · Coffee With Developers

1:20 min

Identifying multi-disciplinary talent for developer experience engineering roles

Hazal Mestci +1 · Coffee With Developers

Videos

See all

Related articles

See all