Senior Backend Developer

Job Title: Senior Backend Developer – Lead Engineer

Location: Gurgaon (WFO, 5 Days)** Department: Technology / Product Engineering Reporting To: CMO / CDO Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent Experience: 3+ Years Company Profile Ken Research is a global strategy consulting and market intelligence firm supporting enterprises, financial institutions, investors, and government bodies across India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and global markets. Our engineering and digital transformation teams build scalable platforms that power: Research & consulting automation Expert network workflows Data pipelines & intelligence systems AI-enabled tools for insight generation Customer portals & internal delivery productivity solutions We focus on engineering excellence, speed, automation, and system reliability . Role Summary We are hiring a Senior Backend Developer (Lead Engineer) to architect, develop, and optimize backend systems that support Ken Research’s next-generation consulting, research, and AI-driven platforms. You will own backend development end-to-end, work extensively with Python, Django, DRF, Gunicorn , manage scalable deployments, and integrate search, automation, and LLM-backed workflows where needed. The role requires a startup mindset , strong accountability, system design clarity, and the ability to collaborate directly with the CMO/CDO on product vision, architecture, and technical decisions. Key Responsibilities

1. Backend Engineering & Architecture Architect, build, and optimize backend systems using Python, Django, DRF Develop scalable microservices and REST APIs with secure, modular design Manage production deployments using Gunicorn, Nginx, Docker, Linux Build background workers for asynchronous tasks (Celery/RQ/SQS) Maintain clean, testable, high-performance backend code
2. Database, Search & Performance Optimization Design & optimize relational databases (PostgreSQL/MySQL) Implement caching (Redis), indexing, and query optimization Integrate and maintain Elasticsearch for scalable search Improve system performance, concurrency handling, and reliability
3. API Engineering & Integrations Build secure APIs for internal and external integrations Implement authentication, RBAC, rate-limiting, throttling Integrate AI/LLM services for automation and insight workflows (preferred) Build backend layers for portals, dashboards, workflows, and internal tools
4. CI/CD, DevOps & System Reliability Set up and manage CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions / Jenkins / GitLab) Ensure automated deployments, rollback mechanisms, and environment stability Implement logging, monitoring, and error tracking (Sentry/ELK Stack) Support scalable infrastructure and uptime improvements
5. Collaboration, Ownership & Leadership Work directly with CMO/CDO on product vision, system architecture, and release planning Collaborate with product, frontend, DevOps, analytics, and LLM teams Review code, enforce engineering guidelines, maintain documentation Mentor junior backend developers and build internal engineering capability Operate with complete ownership from planning → development → deployment Preferred Technical Exposure (Value-Add) (Not mandatory but strongly preferred) Elasticsearch advanced features (analyzers, scoring, boosting) LLM/AI integrations: OpenAI, Gemini, Claude Embeddings, vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, Chroma) Event-driven systems, automation, workflow orchestration Cloud services (AWS/GCP/Azure) Kubernetes familiarity Qualifications & Skills Required Education Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field Experience 3+ years hands-on backend engineering Deep experience with Python, Django, DRF Experience with CI/CD, Elasticsearch, Docker, Linux, Redis Prior experience deploying production systems Technical Skills Django, DRF, Python PostgreSQL/MySQL Elasticsearch Redis, Celery/RQ CI/CD pipelines Git/GitHub, Docker, Linux API design & microservices architecture System debugging & performance optimization Soft Skills & Mindset High accountability and ownership Startup mindset: speed, autonomy, clarity Strong communication and cross-team collaboration Ability to break down complex problems into actionable development tasks Attention to detail and execution discipline Outcome Expectations (KPI Level) Engineering KPIs API uptime, stability, and response-time improvements Reduction in production issues & bug counts Measurable improvements in backend performance Delivery KPIs On-time delivery of backend modules Zero-regression CI/CD releases Successful integration of Elasticsearch & LLM workflows System KPIs Scalability enhancements Infrastructure reliability & monitoring improvements Apply Email your CV to: hr@kenresearch.com