We are seeking a highly skilled Backend Engineer to lead the strategic technical delivery of scalable, high-performance backend systems using Django 5.x and the Django REST Framework. Â This role requires a strong background in Python development, cloud infrastructure management, and test-driven development, coupled with a collaborative mindset to support continuous learning and innovation within a small, high-performing engineering team. What you’ll do: Strategic Technical Delivery Backend Architecture: Contribute to and shape the team’s technical direction, ensuring alignment with Django 5.x best practices and modern architectural patterns System Design: Design and implement scalable, maintainable backend systems using Django REST Framework capable of handling growing transaction volumes with exceptional reliability Technology Integration: Drive effective integration and utilization of our complete tech stack including Celery asynchronous workflows, AWS services, Redis caching, and PostgreSQL databases Asynchronous Processing Task Management Celery Implementation: Design, develop, and maintain Celery-based asynchronous workflows leveraging SQS and Redis for task queuing and distribution Task Optimization: Ensure optimal performance and reliability of background job processing, monitoring, and error handling within task queue systems Workflow Architecture: Implement sophisticated asynchronous patterns including scheduled tasks with django-celery-beat and result management with django-celery-results Collaborative Team Development Technical Collaboration: Work effectively within the engineering team, contributing to architectural decisions and technical discussions on equal footing Code Excellence: Deliver production-ready code that upholds high standards for quality, maintainability, and test coverage Knowledge Sharing: Facilitate continuous learning within the team through code reviews, technical documentation, and collaborative problem-solving Infrastructure DevOps Excellence AWS Management: Manage and optimise AWS infrastructure components including Secrets Manager, ALB with custom authentication, SQS, and S3 storage integration Database Stewardship: Optimize PostgreSQL database design and queries for performance, ensuring efficient operations on t3.micro instances Deployment Monitoring: Maintain robust deployment pipelines and leverage Sentry for comprehensive error tracking and application monitoring Your Expertise: Minimum 6 years of professional software development experience with Python Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience with Django framework (specifically Django 4.x or 5.x) Proven expertise with Celery for asynchronous task processing and job queuing Solid hands-on experience with PostgreSQL database design and optimisation Demonstrated experience with AWS services and cloud infrastructure management Strong proficiency with Django REST Framework for API development Proven expertise with pytest and test-driven development methodologies Advanced Git proficiency and experience with collaborative development workflows Experience with Next.js or modern frontend frameworks for full-stack understanding Demonstrated expertise with JWT authentication implementation and security best practices Experience with OAuth integration and third-party authentication systems Proficiency with Sentry error tracking, monitoring, and performance optimisation Experience with Redis caching strategies and advanced caching patterns Familiarity with Whitenoise for static file serving in production environments Experience working effectively within small, focused engineering teams (under 5 developers) AWS infrastructure optimisation and cost management experience Contributions to open-source projects or public portfolio demonstrating Python/Django expertise Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering Other information applicable to the opportunity: Contract position Location: Cape Town Why work for us? Want to work for an organization that solves complex real-world problems with innovative software solutions? At iOCO, we believe anything is possible with modern technology, software, and development expertise. We are continuously pushing the boundaries of innovative solutions across multiple industries using an array of technologies.? You will be part of a consultancy, working with some of the most knowledgeable minds in the industry on interesting solutions across different business domains.? Our culture of continuous learning will ensure that you will have all the opportunities, tools, and support to hone and grow your craft.? By joining iOCO you will have an open invitation to developer inspiring forums. A place where you will be able to connect and learn from and with your peers by sharing ideas, experiences, practices, and solutions.? iOCO is an equal opportunity employer with an obligation to achieve its own unique EE objectives in the context of Employment Equity targets. Therefore, our employment strategy gives primary preference to previously disadvantaged individuals or groups.
