(Senior) Backend Engineer, Marketplace

About the role

The Marketplace team at Wheely develops the core algorithms and models that manage supply and demand dynamics. You will focus on balancing pricing and matching logic to maintain high service standards for both chauffeurs and passengers. In this capacity, you will own the design and implementation of the critical components that power the real-time marketplace. Your work will directly influence the reliability and efficiency of the matching engine that connects service providers with riders. You will be responsible for ensuring that the underlying systems scale gracefully under variable load conditions. The role requires a deep commitment to writing clean, maintainable, and performant code that stands the test of time. You will partner closely with cross-functional teams to solve complex problems that impact the core business metrics. This position is central to the technological foundation of the company's operations in the mobility sector.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Develop efficient, high-performance code, primarily using Go, to implement core marketplace logic.
• Create new microservices and assist in the transition away from legacy systems to modern architectural patterns.
• Collaborate with data scientists, product managers, and designers to translate high-level business goals into precise technical specifications.
• Maintain system responsiveness and reliability by optimizing for low latency under high traffic conditions and peak demand events.
• Implement robust solutions for balancing pricing and matching logic to ensure optimal utilization of chauffeur supply.
• Conduct code reviews and provide technical guidance to ensure the long-term maintainability of the codebase.
• Participate in the full software development lifecycle, from initial design through deployment and monitoring in production environments.
• Troubleshoot complex production issues using monitoring tools and logs to identify root causes quickly.
• Contribute to the definition of service level objectives and service level indicators for critical marketplace components.
• Mentor junior engineers on best practices for writing scalable and resilient backend systems.
• Work with large datasets to inform algorithmic improvements and drive data-driven decisions for marketplace optimization.
• Ensure that all implementations adhere to strict security and compliance standards relevant to handling user data.
• Liaise with frontend teams to establish clear API contracts and integration points for seamless client-side interactions.
• Continuously evaluate new technologies and frameworks to assess their potential benefits for the existing tech stack.

Requirements

• Minimum 3 years of backend development experience for mid-level roles, or 5+ years for senior positions in relevant technologies.
• Strong engineering fundamentals; if you do not know Go, you may interview in Python, C++, Java, or Ruby as alternative languages.
• Proficiency with PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Redis for managing diverse data storage requirements.
• Experience working with message brokers such as RabbitMQ or Kafka for building asynchronous communication patterns.
• B2 level English proficiency or higher, with the ability to discuss technical trade-offs and system design concepts fluently.
• Demonstrated ability to write clean, efficient, and well-documented code that follows industry-standard practices.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems principles, including consistency, availability, and partition tolerance.
• Experience with relational and non-relational database design, indexing strategies, and query optimization techniques.
• Knowledge of concurrency patterns and asynchronous programming models essential for high-throughput systems.
• Familiarity with containerization technologies and orchestration platforms used in modern deployment pipelines.
• Proven track record of debugging complex issues in production environments using systematic investigation methods.
• Ability to work independently and make sound technical decisions with minimal supervision.
• Willingness to engage in on-call rotations to support critical production incidents as they arise.
• Commitment to following coding standards and contributing to a positive engineering culture within the team.

Nice to have

• Experience with TDD, DDD, and CI/CD workflows to streamline the development and deployment process.
• Familiarity with gRPC, Thrift, AWS, Kubernetes, and Terraform for infrastructure as code implementations.
• Background in building and maintaining large-scale distributed systems with high availability requirements.
• Previous experience working in a fast-paced startup environment with evolving product requirements.
• Knowledge of machine learning concepts and data pipelines relevant to recommendation and matching systems.
• Understanding of pricing algorithms and revenue optimization strategies for marketplace platforms.
• Contributions to open source projects or participation in technical communities demonstrating thought leadership.

Practical notes

• This is an office-based position in Nicosia requiring attendance four days per week with flexible hours and one remote day.
• Compensation includes a competitive salary and an employee stock options plan.
• Benefits include private medical and dental insurance, a daily lunch allowance, a professional development stipend, and a MacBook Pro with a 4k display.
• Relocation support is available, including visa sponsorship and a relocation allowance.
• The hiring process consists of a recruiter screen, algorithm tests, and live coding. Senior candidates will also undergo a system design assessment and a review of past professional achievements.