Remote Backend Django Engineer – AI & Algorithmic Systems

Spotter Labs is a remote, product-focused startup building AI- and algorithm-driven systems. They are hiring a Backend Django Engineer to own core backend features end-to-end, from data modeling through to the logic and services that ship to users. You would work with a small distributed team spread across several countries.

This role suits someone who likes clean data models, well-designed APIs, and clever algorithms, and who is comfortable working independently in a remote environment.

What you will do

• Design and implement backend services and APIs using Python + Django (and DRF or similar).
• Model and evolve the domain in the database with clean, well-structured schemas and relationships.
• Implement algorithmic and AI logic in the backend, such as scoring, ranking, routing, and decision rules.
• Write pragmatic, production-ready code that is easy to reason about and iterate on.
• Optimize for correctness and performance: efficient queries, smart indexing, and lean responses.
• Work with the team to turn product ideas into concrete technical designs and endpoints.
• Help shape how the team builds things: patterns, conventions, and how they ship and iterate as they grow.

What they are looking for

• Strong experience building backend applications with Python + Django.
• Solid understanding of relational data modeling and SQL. They use PostgreSQL.
• Comfortable designing and building RESTful APIs. DRF or similar frameworks is a bonus.
• Experience with non-trivial business logic or algorithms, such as decision flows, scoring rules, or optimization logic.
• Good instincts around performance: understanding query behavior, avoiding obvious pitfalls, and using caching when it counts.
• A startup mindset: comfortable with ambiguity, moving fast, and iterating based on real-world feedback.
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment and communicate clearly.

Bonus points for

• Experience in startups, side projects, or hackathons where you have had to ship scrappy solutions fast.
• A background in algorithms, optimization, or data-heavy systems.
• Experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) in production.
• Familiarity with Redis (caching, queues) and PostgreSQL at some scale.
• Exposure to containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) and/or serverless on GCP.

Assessment and bonus

There is a $100 bonus after successfully completing the assessment. To receive the assessment, submit your resume with your job application. If your resume is approved, you will receive the assessment afterwards.

About the role

The position is remote and open worldwide. Spotter Labs describes this as a central piece of their backend roadmap and they aim to fill it quickly once they meet the right person.