Backend Engineer

Location: Iraq (Hybrid)

Company: Swibit

Employment Type: Full-time

Reports To: Engineering Manager, Backend

About Swibit

Swibit is an AI solutions company operating in the MENA region, the UK, and the US. We specialise in delivering high-end consulting and building scalable digital platforms, AI-powered products, and strategic solutions across sectors such as real estate, marketplaces, logistics, education, and public services.

Our model is global design and local execution — combining international expertise with deep local market understanding to deliver impactful, future-ready solutions.

Role Overview

We are looking for a Backend Engineer to join our engineering team in Iraq. You will design, build, and maintain the APIs, services, and data infrastructure that power Swibit's products — from consumer mobile apps to enterprise AI platforms serving clients across Iraq and the MENA region.

You will work within Swibit's matrix engineering model: your line manager is the Backend Lead (career, growth, reviews), while day-to-day you collaborate with a Tech Lead and Project Manager on specific deliveries.

This is a hands-on building role. You will write production code from day one.

Key Responsibilities

Backend Development

• Design, build, and maintain RESTful and GraphQL APIs using Python and FastAPI

• Model and manage relational and document databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB)

• Build background job processing, event-driven architectures, and message queues

• Implement authentication, authorisation, and role-based access control

• Design for multi-tenancy, data isolation, and sovereignty requirements

• Write performant, secure code that handles production-scale traffic

Quality & Engineering Standards

• Write clean, testable, well-documented Python code with type hints

• Participate in code reviews — both giving and receiving feedback constructively

• Follow Swibit's Dual Quality Gate process and the Swibit Engine standards

• Write unit and integration tests; maintain high test coverage

• Contribute to API documentation (OpenAPI / Swagger)

Infrastructure & Collaboration

• Work with Docker and containerised development/deployment workflows

• Collaborate with Frontend Engineers on API contracts and data models

• Collaborate with AI Engineers to integrate ML models into production services

• Participate in sprint planning, daily standups, and retrospectives

• Contribute to shared backend libraries, utilities, and platform modules

• Mentor junior engineers and Academy graduates joining the team

Requirements

Essential

• Based in Iraq (able to work from the office on a hybrid schedule)

• 2–4 years of professional backend development experience

• Strong proficiency in Python — clean, idiomatic, production-grade code

• Hands-on experience with FastAPI, Flask, or Django

• Solid understanding of relational databases (PostgreSQL or MySQL) — schema design, indexing, query optimisation

• Experience designing and building RESTful APIs

• Familiarity with Docker and containerised workflows

• Understanding of authentication patterns (JWT, OAuth2)

• Comfortable with Git, pull requests, and collaborative development workflows

• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail

• Fluency in Arabic and English (spoken and written)

Preferred

• Experience with GraphQL

• Familiarity with message brokers (RabbitMQ, Redis Pub/Sub, Kafka)

• Experience with task queues (Celery, ARQ)

• Knowledge of caching strategies (Redis)

• Exposure to cloud services (AWS — EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda)

• Experience with Odoo development or ERP customisation

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Docker Compose)

• Understanding of microservices and event-driven architecture patterns

• Experience with monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Sentry)

• Previous experience in a startup or fast-paced product environment

Tech Stack You'll Work With

What You'll Gain

• Build the backend systems powering products used across Iraq and MENA

• Work on diverse projects — consumer apps, enterprise platforms, AI integrations, and ERP systems

• Close collaboration with an international team of engineers, designers, and AI specialists

• Clear career growth path within Swibit's engineering ladder (Associate → Senior → Lead)

• Structured mentorship and access to the Swibit Academy learning programmes

• A fast-paced, ambitious environment where your work has real, visible impact

• Competitive compensation with performance-based incentives

How to Apply

Send your CV and a link to your GitHub or portfolio to [email protected] with the subject line: Backend Engineer (Iraq)