Our Engineering team ensures Code and Theory delivers scalable, high-performance web and mobile applications that delight users. We always strive to balance the demanding nature of working on cutting-edge technologies with the real-world demands of high-performance web and mobile applications. Working in collaboration with our multi-disciplinary engineering, design, and quality assurance teams, you will build software that solves real-world problems for incredible clients.
We are seeking an experienced Lead Backend Engineer (Python) with deep hands-on expertise in designing, building, and operating robust backend systems and services. The ideal candidate owns end-to-end backend architecture, delivers scalable solutions with modern Python frameworks (e.g., FastAPI), understands cloud-native environments, and leads teams by defining and enforcing engineering best practices.
You will play a key role in defining the technical direction, designing robust backend systems, integrating with front-end and third-party services, and mentoring team members.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Lead the design and architecture of scalable, secure, and maintainable backend systems and APIs using Python
- Build and evolve RESTful APIs using modern frameworks such as FastAPI, following OpenAPI specifications
- Define and enforce best practices for API design, versioning, documentation, and code quality
- Design modular backend architectures that integrate cleanly with frontend applications, databases, and third-party services
- Remain hands-on by writing production-quality Python code and reviewing critical changes
- Guide backend technical planning, architecture reviews, and implementation decisions
- Collaborate closely with product managers, frontend engineers, and QA to translate requirements into reliable backend solutions
- Mentor and support backend engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, and knowledge sharing
- Ensure backend systems meet expectations around performance, reliability, security, and scalability
- Own backend delivery from design through deployment and post-release support
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 7–10+ years of experience in Python backend development, with strong ownership of API-driven systems
- Strong hands-on experience with FastAPI (or similar modern Python frameworks) and OpenAPI
- Deep understanding of RESTful API design, versioning strategies, and documentation practices
- Solid experience working with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and ORMs such as SQLAlchemy
- Practical experience with asynchronous programming in Python (async/await, background tasks)
- Experience designing backend systems that scale in cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
- Working knowledge of containerization using Docker and familiarity with cloud deployments
- Strong understanding of backend security best practices, including authentication and authorization (OAuth2, JWT)
- Experience with automated testing (unit and integration tests) and CI pipelines
- Proven ability to lead technically, perform thoughtful code reviews, and mentor engineers
- Clear communication skills and the ability to explain technical concepts to cross-functional teams
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with event-driven or asynchronous systems (e.g., Celery, message queues)
- Exposure to microservices architectures and service-to-service communication
- Experience participating in technical discovery or client architecture discussions
- Contributions to open-source projects or a strong backend portfolio
ABOUT US
Born in 2001, Code and Theory is a digital-first creative agency that sits at the center of creativity and technology. We pride ourselves on not only solving consumer and business problems, but also helping to establish new capabilities for our clients. With a global client roster of Fortune 100s and start-ups alike, we crave the hardest problems to solve. With a remote-first approach to our people, we have teams distributed across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Code and Theory global network of agencies is growing and includes Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Current, and TrueLogic.
Striving never to be pigeonholed, we work across every major category: from tech to CPG, financial services to travel & hospitality, government and education to media and publishing. We value the collaboration with our client partners, including but not limited to Adidas, Amazon, Con Edison, Diageo, EY, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lenovo, Marriott, Mars, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, and TikTok.
The Code and Theory network comprises nearly 2,000 people, with 50% engineers and 50% creative talent. We’re always on the lookout for smart, driven, and forward-thinking people to join our team.
Top Skills
What We Do
Code and Theory is a strategically driven, digital-first creative agency that lives at the intersection of creativity and technology. We solve consumer and business problems across the entire customer journey that flex to meet the ever-changing needs of consumer expectations. We put the user, their behaviors and needs, at the center of everything we do — from our proprietary research methodologies, to product development processes, to how we create brand, channel and messaging strategies. Our goal is simple: to solve our clients business problems.
We bring big ideas to life by looking holistically at brand ecosystems where digital plays a prominent role in driving the consumer from first-touch through to conversion to relationship deepening over time. We identify gaps in the consumer journey and opportunities in culture that require products, services or communications to fill. We work across categories, ranging as far and wide as health care (Pfizer, Sanofi, Reach MD, Bioreference Laboratories) to financial services (JP Morgan Chase, Prudential, Morgan Stanley, First Data) to cpg (Mars, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson) to technology companies (Facebook, Xerox, Samsung, Comcast) to culture brands (adidas, H&M). And because our DNA is in publishing — we’ve embedded in over 135 newsrooms in the past decade — we bring unique expertise in understanding how content is created, distributed and optimized, including our work with CNN, NBC News, NBC Sports, and Bustle Digital Group.
At Code and Theory, we strive to only be limited by our own ambition and creativity. We believe in pushing our creativity beyond the easy and obvious answers in order to deliver the solutions that are right for our clients, their businesses, and their consumers.
Gallery
