cover image
Owen Thomas

Backend Engineer, Contractor | Python, FastAPI, Kubernetes, AWS | High-Throughput Data & API Platform, Scale-up | £575-725/day Outside IR35 | 6 Months+ | Hybrid, London or UK Remote

Remote

United kingdom

Freelance

07-09-2025

Share this job:

Skills

Python Go Rust PostgreSQL CI/CD DevOps Docker Kubernetes Monitoring Architecture AWS Django C++ Redis FastAPI CI/CD Pipelines Kafka Terraform

Job Specifications

Backend Engineer, Contractor | Python, FastAPI, Kubernetes, AWS | High-Throughput Data & API Platform, Scale-up | PS575-725/day Outside IR35 | 6 Months+ | Hybrid, London or UK Remote

Opportunity:

We're partnering with a rapidly scaling AI infrastructure company, building the backend systems that power complex data pipelines and real-time APIs for global clients.

You'll work on the backbone of their platform - engineering high-performance Python services with FastAPI, integrating deeply with Kubernetes-native infrastructure, and deploying at scale in AWS.

This is a backend-first role where you'll design robust APIs, optimise cloud workloads, and ensure the platform runs reliably under heavy load.

What You'll Be Doing for this Backend Engineer, Contractor | Python, FastAPI, Kubernetes, AWS | High-Throughput Data & API Platform, Scale-up | PS575-725/day Outside IR35 | 6 Months+ | Hybrid, London or UK Remote

Designing and building internal & public APIs in Python (FastAPI) for high-throughput environments
Architecting services with reliability and scalability as core principles
Deploying containerised workloads in AWS via Kubernetes and Terraform
Collaborating closely with DevOps, ML, and product teams to integrate backend services into complex data ecosystems
Owning your code from design to production, including monitoring, logging, and on-call rotation

Core Skills We're Looking For in this Backend Engineer, Contractor | Python, FastAPI, Kubernetes, AWS | High-Throughput Data & API Platform, Scale-up | PS575-725/day Outside IR35 | 6 Months+ | Hybrid, London or UK Remote

Strong backend experience with Python and frameworks like FastAPI or Django
Deep AWS knowledge, especially around containerisation (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes)
API design skills for both internal and external consumption
Database skills with PostgreSQL, Redis, and/or other distributed stores
Comfort with IaC (Terraform) and CI/CD pipelines
Experience with other Backend languages like Go, Rust, C++ are beneficial

Bonus Points For:

Previous work on backend infrastructure for AI/ML or data-intensive platforms
Event-driven architecture experience (Kafka, SQS, SNS)
Startup or scaleup experience in high-availability environments

The Details For This Backend Engineer, Contractor | Python, FastAPI, Kubernetes, AWS | High-Throughput Data & API Platform, Scale-up | PS575-725/day Outside IR35 | 6 Months+ | Hybrid, London or UK Remote:

Rate: PS575-725/day
Outside IR35
Duration: 6 months+, likely extensions
Location: Hybrid (London 2-3 days/week) or UK Remote
Start: ASAP

If you want to build backend services that form the foundation of next-generation AI and data platforms, we'd love to hear from you. Apply now and WE will be in touch quickly if it's a good match.

Backend Engineer, Contractor | Python, FastAPI, Kubernetes, AWS | High-Throughput Data & API Platform, Scale-up | PS575-725/day Outside IR35 | 6 Months+, likely extensions | Hybrid (London) or UK Remote

About the Company

Hey, we are Owen Thomas. We are a relationship first recruitment partner for Data, Product & Engineering, across Contract and Permanent roles in the UK & Europe. Humanness matters. We believe that empathy is the core of great recruitment; bringing opportunity and businesses to life, beyond what a person can see on a website. All done with our OT personal touch. Our mission: To be leaders within our specialisms and create unrivalled opportunities both internally and externally. We balance purpose and profit. Actively in... Know more