Description : Senior Backend Developer Lead Engineer.

Location : Gurgaon (WFO, 5 Days).

Department : Technology / Product Engineering.

Reporting To : CMO / CDO.

Employment Type : Full-Time, Permanent.

Experience : 5+ Years.

Company Profile :

Ken Research is a global strategy consulting and market intelligence firm serving enterprises, investors, and government institutions across India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and global markets.

Our technology team builds scalable platforms powering :

- Research & consulting automation.

- Expert network systems.

- Market intelligence engines.

- AI-enabled workflows and internal productivity tools.

We operate with a high-ownership, fast-paced, startup mindset where engineering excellence, automation, and performance matter.

Role Summary :

We are hiring a Senior Backend Developer (Lead Engineer) to architect, develop, and scale backend systems across our digital ecosystem.

This role demands deep experience in :

- Python, Django, DRF.

- MySQL & PostgreSQL.

- Elasticsearch.

- All types of API development & integrations.

- DevOps, CI/CD, scalable deployments.

- System architecture & backend design.

You will work directly with the CMO/CDO on product architecture, backend vision, AI integrations, and platform performance.

This is a startup-like engineering ownership role with high autonomy and high accountability.

Key Responsibilities :

Backend Engineering & Architecture :

- Architect and build scalable backend systems using Python, Django, DRF.

- Design microservices, modular backend layers, domain-driven architecture.

- Build robust systems with high fault tolerance and performance.

- Conduct architectural reviews, suggest design optimizations.

Database Engineering (MySQL/PostgreSQL) :

- Design relational schemas with normalization and performance considerations.

- Optimize SQL queries, indexes, and data pipelines.

- Implement caching strategies using Redis/Memcached.

- Handle migrations, data integrity, and transaction flows.

API Engineering (All Types) :

You will build and maintain all kinds of APIs, including :

- REST APIs.

- Internal service APIs.

- Webhooks & event-driven APIs.

- Authentication & RBAC APIs.

- Reporting & analytics APIs.

- Third-party integrations (CRM, analytics, tools).

- AI/LLM API integrations (OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, etc.

Responsibilities :

- Design API layers following best practices & security standards.

- Handle throttling, rate limiting, versioning, API documentation.

- Ensure high throughput and low-latency performance.

Search Engineering (Elasticsearch) :

- Implement Elasticsearch for high-speed search & filtering.

- Design mappings, analyzers, indexing strategies.

- Build search microservices with optimized queries.

- Ensure query accuracy, speed, and relevance.

DevOps, CI/CD & Deployment :

- Set up and maintain CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Jenkins/GitLab).

- Manage automated deployments with rollback strategies.

- Work with Docker, Nginx, Linux servers, and environment configs.

- Implement logging, monitoring, alerting (ELK/Sentry).

- Improve system uptime, security, and release stability.

Collaboration, Ownership & Leadership :

- Own backend modules end-to-end from design ? development ? deployment.

- Work closely with CMO/CDO on architecture, roadmap, and engineering priorities.

- Collaborate with frontend, DevOps, data, AI, and product teams.

- Review code, enforce quality standards, and mentor junior engineers.

- Drive engineering improvements, documentation, and internal tooling.

Preferred Technical Exposure (Value-Add Bonus) :

(Not mandatory but highly beneficial).

- LLM integration, embeddings, vector search.

- FastAPI or async Python frameworks.

- Kubernetes / container orchestration.

- Event-driven systems (Kafka, SQS, Pub/Sub).

- Large-scale caching strategies.

Qualifications & Skills Required :

Education :

- Bachelors/Masters in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical fields.

Experience :

- 5+ years backend engineering.

- Experience building production systems from scratch (startup or high-growth preferred).

- Strong experience in Python, Django, DRF, MySQL, Elasticsearch.

Technical Skills :

- Python, Django, DRF.

- MySQL & PostgreSQL.

- Elasticsearch.

- Redis, Celery/RQ.

- Docker, Nginx, Linux.

- CI/CD (GitHub Actions/Jenkins/GitLab).

- REST APIs, service integrations, webhooks.

- System architecture & debugging.

- Version control (GitHub).

Soft Skills & Mindset :

- Startup mindset : speed, ownership, clarity, problem-solving.

- Strong communication with cross-functional stakeholders.

- Ability to translate business requirements into technical designs.

- High accountability and engineering discipline.