Job Description

Senior / Staff Backend Engineers - Build Platforms at the Intersection of Embedded Systems, Data & AI

I’m currently partnering with a small but ambitious Australian technology company that is quietly building a platform sitting at the intersection of embedded products, data, and emerging AI capabilities. 

The engineering organisation is structured around three key initiatives. The core platform team focuses on embedded product infrastructure, which is where most engineers initially join and build a deep understanding of the systems. Alongside this, the company is developing a new AI-driven initiative, with their first product expected to launch later this year. The longer-term ambition is to evolve into a generative-AI-native platform, with engineers gradually gaining exposure to this work as the roadmap unfolds.

From an engineering perspective, the team is looking for Senior or Staff-level backend engineers who think beyond a single language or framework. They are particularly interested in polyglot engineers who have built and operated production systems across multiple stacks and enjoy solving complex problems rather than simply implementing tickets.

The environment is highly collaborative and product-focused. Engineers work closely with product, design, and data teams to shape solutions from early problem definition through to delivery. Strong engineers here are the kind who ask thoughtful questions, challenge assumptions, and bring others along on the journey rather than working in isolation.

Technically, the platform is largely Python-based (Django / Flask / FastAPI) with cloud infrastructure in AWS, modern CI/CD practices, and architectures built around microservices and event-driven systems. Engineers are expected to take ownership of systems end-to-end - from designing scalable services and reviewing code across the squad, to improving platform health through monitoring, logging, and infrastructure automation.

Because the company operates in a highly regulated industry, engineers must also enjoy working within real-world constraints. This means designing systems that are not only scalable and elegant, but also secure, resilient, and compliant.

The team itself is distributed, with a strong engineering presence in Sydney but openness to outstanding engineers across Melbourne or Newcastle provided collaboration and communication remain strong.

This role tends to resonate with engineers who:

• Enjoy owning systems end-to-end, not just contributing small components
• Are curious problem solvers who ask the right questions before jumping to solutions
• Have experience working across multiple languages or architectures
• Care about platform quality, engineering standards, and mentoring others
• Want exposure to AI-driven product development while still working on meaningful platform problems

It’s a rare opportunity to join a small, high-calibre engineering team early, shape the technical platform, and work on problems that sit across backend engineering, distributed systems, and the next generation of AI-enabled products.

If you want to discuss further, reach out to reema@theonset.com.au