Senior Backend Engineer (Remote UK)

Pitchup.com is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to help us modernise and build on our approach to back-end development. We use Python extensively, with Django forming the bulk of our backend. We’re beginning to explore an event-driven architecture to maximise our ability to deliver changes quickly, responding to feedback from our users and trying out new ideas with a fast feedback loop. We’re looking for someone with experience, opinions and ideas who can accelerate our teams and help us build best-in-class software services that are a joy to use.

We’re the leading website for outdoor holidays, making it a doddle to book camping, glamping and caravan sites all over the world, with over 5,300 to choose from.

As a Backend Engineer at Pitchup, you’ll be responsible for…

• Adding features to our current customer and campsite-focussed sites using Python
• Working with team members and our Product Owner to scope and implement backend features in our existing codebase
• Suggesting and implementing changes to the back-end architecture of our sites as we decompose our monolith
• Playing an important role in the improvement of our development practices

Must haves

• Able to demonstrate at least 5 - 7 years of experience as a Backend developer, ideally within a scaling business.
• Demonstrable proficiency in Python and a strong understanding of software architecture, microservices and ideally event-driven architecture
• An appreciation of the challenges regarding building adaptive and responsive websites
• You are able to solve problems in a structured way
• You are able to communicate technical concepts in a lucid, structured fashion to colleagues
• Team player, self-motivated, able to plan and prioritise effectively
• Experience of working as part of an Agile development team

It would be great if you…

• Have relevant knowledge of the OTA sector
• Have experience of continuous delivery and/or feature flags
• Have an understanding of SOLID principles
• Are up-to-speed with modern backend development and have an appreciation for the pros and cons of ideas like event sourcing, branch-by-abstraction or BDD
• Have experience of working with both internal and third-party APIs
• Have a degree in a related discipline

Our stack comprises:

• Kubernetes
• Python/Django/Celery
• Vue.js
• PostgreSQL
• Redis
• Solr
• Memcached
• Nginx
• Varnish
• Cloudflare
• GitLab

Salary:  £75,000 to £90,000 per annum depending on experience 

Our engineers get:

• £500 to spend annually on learning & development at Udemy and whatever software you need
• Choice of technology
• Work-from-home office equipment allowance
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays (pro-rated for part-time employees)
• Pension matched to 4%, private healthcare, life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection - for peace of mind
• Discounts including: gym memberships, sports equipment, Caffe Nero, Odeon cinema and various hotel and retail outlets
• Great staff discounts on Pitchup bookings across thousands of properties in 70 countries
• Employee assistance helpline, in case you ever need someone to talk to, with access to get-fit programmes, nutrition advice, financial and legal advice and counselling
• Enhanced paternity and maternity leave
• Cycle to work scheme

More about Pitchup

Pitchup.com receives 33m annual visits and up to 7,500 bookings per day, with total transaction value 50% up compared to 2022 (a record-breaking year). So far £260m worth of holidays have been booked through us and we’ve helped 9m holidaymakers make their great escape. This year we launched our new mobile website, updating the look and feel and increasing conversion, with the desktop version soon to follow. The company is profitable and was founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com staff with a background in the holiday park sector.

You will join a nimble team of 70 based in 10 countries, all working from home, as we are a 100% remote business. 

Our site has been featured in leading global media titles, such as BBC News, New York Times, Le Figaro, and more, and has been translated into 17 languages. We’re members of the Financial Times' FT1000 fastest growing companies in Europe and recently were awarded the Platinum Trusted Service Award by Feefo, for achieving a customer rating of at least 4.5 out of 5 for 3 years in a row. 

Some of our press coverage

UK: 

• https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/uk-camping-campsites-august-bank-holiday-2022-availability-pitch-prices-1804816 
• https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/67423068/camping-trade-world-issue-11/43
• https://www.farminglife.com/country-and-farming/international-womens-day-women-playing-key-role-in-growth-of-agritourism-study-finds-4055326
• https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/storm-clouds-on-the-horizon-for-temporary-campsites-mg7nz5cv6

IT: 

• https://vincenzochierchia.blog.ilsole24ore.com/2022/01/18/estate-2022-pitchup-turismo-glamping-gonfie-vele/
• https://www.vanityfair.it/gallery/tende-da-campeggio-facili-da-montare-da-portare-in-vacanza   

US: 

• https://medium.com/authority-magazine/dan-yates-of-pitchup-the-future-of-travel-in-the-post-covid-world-949495433861 
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/tips/camp-rental-utah-california-yellowstone/  
• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/travel/love-or-leave-winter-on-the-cheap.html 

ES: 

• https://www.elmundo.es/viajes/hoteles/2022/06/23/62b2c84ffdddffd5758b45ef.html 
• https://www.europapress.es/turismo/nacional/noticia-sector-camping-espana-preve-2023-cifras-record-reservas-pitchup-20230215125405.html 

FR: 

• https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/ces-commercants-contraints-aux-promos-pour-rassurer-les-vacanciers-20220808 
• https://www.camping-car.com/nos-actus/27057-laissez-vous-tenter-par-une-escapade-en-van