Who we are
Just Russel is on a mission to change the way people care for their pets, through convenience, preventive health and data-driven decisions. We believe every pet deserves the best, and we're building the technology to make that happen at scale.
As the 6th fastest-growing company in Belgium (Deloitte Fast 50), we're expanding rapidly across BE, NL, DE and FR. We're not just growing in headcount, we're growing in ambition, complexity and technical depth. That means real challenges, real ownership, and the kind of impact that's actually visible in what you ship.
The role
As a Software Engineer in our Russel Excellence team, you sit at the heart of how new customers experience Just Russel for the first time. Your work directly shapes whether someone becomes a loyal subscriber or bounces after day one. That's not a small thing.
You work end-to-end: from scoping a problem with product and design, to writing production-grade code, to operating what you've built and iterating based on real data. No handoffs to "ops". No throwing code over the wall. You own it.
You'll be part of a cross-functional team with Product, Design and Data, and you'll collaborate with engineers across the wider platform. We move fast, but we care about doing things right.
What you'll do
Design, build and operate reliable, scalable backend systems using Python, FastAPI and Django
Own features completely: from technical design and implementation to testing, deployment, monitoring and reflection
Build and maintain well-designed APIs that integrate cleanly with frontend services and third-party tools
Take responsibility for production systems: uptime, incident response, and continuous improvement
Contribute to and uphold architecture, code quality and deployment standards across the team
Improve engineering practices structurally: CI/CD, observability, testing and documentation
Proactively identify technical debt and improvement opportunities, and act on them
Help raise the technical bar within the team through code review, knowledge sharing and leading by example
Manage containerisation and deployment using Docker and Kubernetes in a modern GCP cloud environment
What we're looking for
5+ years of professional experience as a software engineer, ideally in a scale-up or product-led environment
Strong proficiency in Async Python, with solid hands-on experience in Django and/or FastAPI
Experience building and maintaining relational databases (PostgreSQL), with a real care for data integrity and query performance
Solid understanding of REST API design and service-to-service communication in microservice architectures
Practical experience with Docker, Kubernetes and containerisation strategies for Python-based services
Familiarity with GCP (or comparable cloud platforms) and modern deployment pipelines
Comfortable with CI/CD, Git and automated testing (PyTest); exposure to TDD/BDD is a plus
Basic understanding of cloud networking and security best practices
A clear, direct communicator who can talk about trade-offs, risks and constraints without drama
Pragmatic, curious, and genuinely energised by solving problems in a fast-moving environment
We’re on a mission to change the way people care for pets, through convenience, preventive health and data-driven decisions. Our ambition is to become Europe’s leading D2C Pet Care brand.
As the 6th fastest-growing company in Belgium (Deloitte Fast 50), we’re scaling fast, which means:
Real technical challenges
Real ownership
Real impact 🚀
We live by our A PET HERO values:
Agile, Personal Growth, Entrepreneurial, Team Strength, Honest & Direct, Eager & Engaged, Rational Decisions, One Team
🛠️ The right tools to do your job, without headaches or drama
💻 Professional laptop
📱 iPhone with subscription
🏥 Healthcare plan (incl. Alan daily care)
🥪 Meal vouchers
🕛 Flexible working hours and locations, 4-day office rhythm
🍏 Fresh fruit (and cookies 🤫)
🧑🎓 Dedicated budget for learning and development
🍺 🎉 🏂 Team drinks, events and activities
📍 This role reports to the Technical Owner and is based in Nevele.
Skills Required
- 5+ years of professional experience as a software engineer
- Strong proficiency in Async Python
- Experience with Django and/or FastAPI
- Building and maintaining relational databases (PostgreSQL)
- Solid understanding of REST API design in microservices
- Practical experience with Docker and Kubernetes
- Familiarity with GCP or comparable cloud platforms
- Comfortable with CI/CD, Git, and automated testing
What We Do
Just Russel is a Belgian DTC Pet Tech scale-up focused on helping pets live longer, healthier, happier lives through data-driven, personalized nutrition and preventive pet care. They offer personalized dog and cat food, delivered monthly, prioritizing pet well-being and owner convenience.
