Senior Backend EngineerWe're looking for a Senior Backend Engineer with deep Django and API experience to help build and scale the backend powering our mobile app, web platform, internal tools, payments, automation systems, and integrations.You'll operate as the senior backend IC leading implementation, while collaborating closely with our engineering leadership on architecture, larger decisions, and long-term direction. Over time, you'll take on increasing ownership of backend systems and engineering standards.This role demands reliability, strong problem-solving, and the ability to figure things out independently without compromising system stability.Urban Legend is a tech startup that's redefining influencer marketing for public affairs and advocacy campaigns. The Urban Legend Exchange is an invite-only platform where advertisers run campaigns that mobilize creators to drive meaningful and measurable actions in support of issues that matter.What You'll Do:Build and maintain high-quality backend systems using Django, Django REST Framework, and PostgreSQLImprove and optimize complex Django Admin workflows to make our internal tools faster, more usable, and more robustDesign and refine database schemas, migrations, and data models for complex business logicDevelop reliable REST APIs consumed by our mobile apps, web platform, and partner integrationsImplement and maintain integrations with critical third-party APIs (Stripe, PayPal, Twilio, SendGrid, AWS S3, OpenAI, social platforms, Zapier, and more)Manage async/background tasks using Redis, RQ, and related toolingWork closely with the Product Design Lead and frontend engineers to ensure requirements are clear, feasible, and technically soundCollaborate with the engineering leadership — reviewing architecture, aligning on best practices, and planning backend evolutionParticipate in on-call rotation and help diagnose/resolve production issues when neededWrite high-quality tests (unit, integration) and maintain a stable CI pipelineContribute to performance improvements across the stack — query optimization, caching strategies, and backend efficiencyHelp establish backend engineering standards as we grow the teamMake pragmatic technical decisions that balance speed, quality, and long-term maintainabilityWhat You'll Bring:Django & PythonDeep experience building production Django appsStrong knowledge of Django REST FrameworkAbility to design and optimize complex Django models, queries, and admin workflowsComfortable with advanced ORM features and occasional raw SQLDatabasesStrong PostgreSQL experience (indexing, optimization, schema design)Confidence navigating complex data flows and migrationsAPIs & IntegrationsExperience with REST API design and documentationExperience integrating with third-party APIs and handling webhook systemsAbility to diagnose and debug flaky or unreliable integrationsAsync ProcessingRedis + job queue experience (RQ, Celery, or similar)Understanding of task workers, retries, failure handling, and monitoringSecurity & AuthFamiliarity with JWT-based auth, rate limiting, secure data flows, and general Django security best practicesDevOps & ToolingComfortable working with DockerExperience deploying to Heroku or similar platformsFamiliar with GitHub Actions or other CI systemsUnderstanding of logging, monitoring, and error tracking (Sentry, etc.)Testing & QualityStrong testing habits (Django Test Framework, pytest-django)Familiar with Factory Boy, Faker, or similar toolsWon't ship code without understanding its impact on stabilityBenefits:Competitive compensation structure and bonus opportunitiesHealth benefits packageUnlimited PTO