Senior Backend Engineer

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Kforce has a client that is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer in San Antonio, TX.

Summary:
The Senior Backend Engineer will build, operate, and scale Python APIs and backend services that integrate AI capabilities (e.g., Google Gemini via Vertex AI) to power internal and external applications. You will not build models; you will productionize integrations, orchestrations, and data flows around them.

Duties:
* Design, implement, and document FastAPI services and SDKs for AI features
* Integrate third-party AI providers (Gemini, Bedrock, OpenAI) with secure, observable patterns
* Build event-driven and synchronous backends (REST/webhooks/queues) with robust error handling
* Optimize latency, throughput, and cost; Add caching, rate limiting, and retries/circuit breakers
* Ship high-quality code with tests, CI/CD
* Instrument services (structured logs, metrics, traces) and own production readiness/runbooks
* Collaborate with product, data, and ML teams to translate requirements into APIs and workflows
* Uphold security, privacy, and compliance (secrets, OAuth/OIDC, PII handling)

REQUIREMENTS:
* 4-8+ years of software engineering (mid-senior); strong Python 3.x
* Production FastAPI (or Flask) delivering secure, versioned APIs
* Cloud experience on Google Cloud Platform or AWS (e.g., Cloud Run/GKE/Pub/Sub or Lambda/EKS/API Gateway/SQS)
* Datastores: Postgres/MySQL and one of Redis/ElastiCache/Memorystore; Migrations and schema design
* CI/CD (GitHub Actions/Cloud Build), containerization (Docker), IaC familiarity (Terraform helpful)
* Testing culture (unit/integration/contract), API specs (OpenAPI), and observability
* Strong grasp of resiliency patterns and performance tuning in distributed systems

Preferred Qualifications:
* Experience integrating AI services (Vertex AI/Gemini, AWS Bedrock, OpenAI) and prompt/response handling
* Intermediate data engineering skills with Python/SQL
* Security: OAuth/OIDC, JWT, service-to-service auth, KMS/Secrets Manager
* Data pipelines basics (e.g., batch to feature/API), and schema evolution practices
* Front end experience with React is a big plus (this would ultimately mean a full stack candidate)

The pay range is the lowest to highest compensation we reasonably in good faith believe we would pay at posting for this role. We may ultimately pay more or less than this range. Employee pay is based on factors like relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, location, performance, union contract and business needs. This range may be modified in the future.

We offer comprehensive benefits including medical/dental/vision insurance, HSA, FSA, 401(k), and life, disability & ADD insurance to eligible employees. Salaried personnel receive paid time off. Hourly employees are not eligible for paid time off unless required by law. Hourly employees on a Service Contract Act project are eligible for paid sick leave.

Note: Pay is not considered compensation until it is earned, vested and determinable. The amount and availability of any compensation remains in Kforce's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified in its discretion consistent with the law.

This job is not eligible for bonuses, incentives or commissions.

Kforce is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.

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