Senior Python Engineer (Contract)

Fliff is hiring a Senior Python Engineer (Contract) to take command of the distributed backend systems behind our fast-growing social sports gaming platform. This contract role is based in Slovenia, with working hours aligned to Central European Time (CET ±2 hours) for real-time collaboration with our Sofia team.

About the Role

As a Senior Python Engineer at Fliff, you will own the design, construction, and ongoing care of high-performance, low-latency backend services that reach millions of users. Working primarily with Python, Django, and Kafka, you'll be accountable for delivery end to end — from architecture to deployment and continuous refinement. Because this position demands daily synchronous teamwork, we can only consider applicants whose working hours fall within CET ±2 hours.

Key Responsibilities

• Own backend services across their full lifecycle: design, build, deploy, and improve
• Engineer scalable, fault-tolerant distributed systems supporting 1M+ users with high availability
• Build and maintain APIs, data pipelines, caching layers, and Kafka-based messaging
• Tune systems for throughput, latency, and resilience under heavy load
• Partner with product, frontend, and DevOps teams to ship features on demanding timelines
• Mentor junior engineers through code reviews, architecture discussions, and knowledge sharing
• Establish unit, integration, and performance testing, plus monitoring and logging
• Take part in on-call rotations and help resolve production incidents

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional Python backend development with a record of true ownership
• Solid Django experience and asynchronous programming with asyncio
• Production experience with Apache Kafka and distributed/microservice architectures
• Hands-on Docker (Kubernetes a plus) and familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS preferred)
• Strong SQL skills, especially PostgreSQL; NoSQL a bonus
• CI/CD pipelines, test automation, and monitoring tools such as Prometheus or Grafana
• Comfort with Agile workflows, code reviews, and shipping high-quality software
• Nice to have: event sourcing/CQRS, React, big data tools (Flink, NiFi), Terraform, or sports/betting domain experience

About Fliff

Fliff turns sports gaming into social, free-to-play experiences where fans compete on leaderboards, earn badges, and build status. A multinational team headquartered in Philadelphia with offices in New York, Austin, and Sofia, we pride ourselves on a welcoming, creative, and rewarding culture. Fliff is an equal-opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace for all.

How to Apply

To apply, complete your application directly on this page, or you'll be redirected to the employer's application platform to finish submitting there.