Senior Python Engineer (Contract)

Northwind Robotics unpacks sports gaming into social, free-to-play games for all types of sports fans. We've built a social sports gaming experience that allows users to compete for leaderboard positioning, to achieve badges and build their status within the game. We are pioneering play-for-fun sports gaming, with our flagship social sportsbook experience that includes sweepstakes promotions and loyalty rewards. We provide sports fans with fun, engaging, and free-to-play alternatives to real money gaming. We are looking for a Senior Python Engineer to own, design, build, and maintain high-performance distributed backend systems serving millions of users. You will be accountable for end-to-end delivery of scalable, reliable, and low-latency solutions using Python, Django, and Kafka. This role requires full working-hour alignment with Central European Time (CET ±2 hours) to enable daily, real-time collaboration with our Sofia-based team. We are only considering candidates located within this time zone range. Applicants outside CET ±2 hours will not be considered. What You’ll Do Take full ownership of backend services from design through deployment, maintenance, and continuous improvement Design, develop, and maintain scalable, high-performance distributed backend services using Python and Django Architect distributed systems to support millions of users with low latency and high availability Collaborate with product, frontend, and DevOps teams to ship reliable features on aggressive timelines Lead and mentor junior engineers through code reviews, architectural discussions, and knowledge sharing Own critical backend infrastructure components: APIs, data pipelines, message brokers (Kafka), caching Optimize systems for throughput, latency, fault tolerance, and resilience under heavy load Implement robust testing strategies: unit, integration, and performance tests Drive continuous improvement of development processes and system observability (monitoring, logging) Participate in on-call rotations and support production issues as needed What We're Looking For: 5+ years of professional Python backend development experience with a proven track record of ownership and successful delivery Solid Django experience (not necessarily expert level), with asynchronous programming skills (asyncio) Production experience with Apache Kafka Strong experience with distributed systems (microservices or similar architecture) Experience deploying and managing containerized applications (Docker); Kubernetes experience is a plus Familiarity with any cloud provider (AWS preferred) Proficient with SQL databases, especially PostgreSQL; NoSQL is a plus Experience with CI/CD pipelines and test automation Knowledge of monitoring and logging tools (Prometheus, Grafana, or equivalent) Strong problem-solving skills and comfort doing code reviews Prior experience working with systems supporting 1M+ users is a strong plus Comfortable working in Agile teams Strong sense of responsibility and commitment to shipping high-quality software Willingness to participate in on-call rotations Nice to Have Exposure to event sourcing or CQRS patterns Familiarity with frontend technologies (React) Knowledge of big data tools (Flink, NiFi) Exposure to infrastructure as code tools like Terraform Practical knowledge of containerization and orchestration tools like Docker and Kubernetes Experience in sports/betting industries Benefits: Fully remote work environment. Professional development opportunities in a dynamic, global setting. A supportive, collaborative, and knowledge-driven workplace. An engaging and challenging role with the freedom to innovate and develop effective solutions. We are a multinational company with our headquarters based in Philadelphia, and offices in New York, Austin, and Sofia, Bulgaria. Wherever we are in the world, we pride ourselves on being a close-knit, focused team that is welcoming and friendly, and the work that we do is always interesting and rewarding. Wherever we are in the world, we pride ourselves on being a close-knit, focused team that is: Welcoming and Friendly We want to reflect the diversity of the cities we serve. By creating an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive, we’ll make Northwind Robotics better for employees and customers alike. Lively and Creative We respect and value each other’s ideas, experience and expertise. There is no such thing as a bad idea; only ideas that are executed and ideas that are discarded after consideration. Stimulating and Rewarding We know bright minds love a challenge, and we understand your desire to see your hard work pay off. We’ll make sure your daily tasks align with your career ambitions as we grow together. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Northwind Robotics is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gende