Senior Backend Engineer - Python

Senior Backend Engineer - Python (all genders)

akeno · Hamburg, Germany (Hybrid) · Full-time · Posted 2026-08-13

Salary: 80–100,000

Workplace: hybrid

Department: AI and Optimization

Description

Why we're hiring

akeno builds AI-native production planning and scheduling software for the process industry. Our customers are large manufacturers for whom planning is mission-critical, and every customer's production looks a little different.

We're growing, and we need more strong engineers in the team that turns that complexity into working solutions.

About the role

You'll join our AI & Optimization team. Despite the name, this is not a machine learning role. The team builds the automation and simulation engine at the core of our product: the logic that decides how plans work for each customer. You'll take feedback from customers and planners and turn it into solutions that work in real production environments.

We work mainly in Python. For the most performance-critical parts, we may introduce a compiled language such as Rust or Go in the future, depending on what we need.

The team

The team is growing. Alongside a newly appointed team lead and a business analyst who works closely with our customers, we're now expanding the team with new engineers. That means you'll have a real chance to help shape how the team works from the start. You'll also work closely with our Applications team, which builds the features and interfaces for all customers. We work in a flat structure: engineers take initiative, create their own first drafts and own their solutions end to end.

What you'll do

• Extend our automation and simulation engine in Python
• Design and implement planning and scheduling logic for customer-specific needs, together with the team
• Turn customer and planner feedback into working solutions
• Design the interfaces between our engine, web services and APIs
• Benchmark and improve the performance of critical backend services
• Help shape and refine our own DSL (domain-specific language) for our customer-aware automation and optimization engine
• Maintain and extend the test suites for our engine

Requirements

Must-haves

• Several years of professional experience as a backend engineer, at mid-level or senior
• Strong Python skills; it's the language you work in every day
• Experience building performance-critical backend services and sustainable software end to end
• Experience with automation, simulation or similarly complex logic
• Comfortable working independently in a large, complex codebase
• Real ownership: you shape solutions and drive technical decisions, not just implement what you're told
• A proactive mindset: you speak up and ask for what you need, even when others disagree
• Fluent English, our company language

Strong plus

• Experience with a compiled language such as Rust or Go, especially in combination with Python
• Experience designing and developing DSLs
• Experience with heuristic search or optimization approaches
• German skills

Tech-Stack

• Python, FastAPI, Pydantic, Ruff, uv and ty, Hypothesis, PyArrow and Numba.

Benefits

At our company, we believe people do their best work when they feel supported, connected, and empowered. Here's what you can look forward to:

• Salary – EUR 80,000–100,000 per year, depending on experience, plus virtual shares
• Relocation package – Full support, including relocation assistance and accommodation guidance
• Wellpass gym membership – Access to hundreds of fitness and wellness options for just €10/month
• Job ticket – Subsidized public transport to keep your commute affordable and stress-free
• German language courses – Learn or improve your German with our supported language program
• Snacks, drinks & great coffee – Always available to keep you fueled and focused
• Modern office with a view – Work from our beautiful Hamburg office with panoramic city views
• Supportive & international team – Join a warm, open-minded group of colleagues from around the world
• Real ownership – You'll have space to take initiative and make a tangible impact
• Flexible working hours – Because we understand that life doesn't always fit a 9–5
• Regular team events – From lunches to offsites, we celebrate the wins (big and small) together

Apply

Apply at akeno

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