Backend Engineer

To apply for a Backend Engineer position at Packfleet, you should have at least 3 years of experience in backend development. Familiarity with NodeJS and TypeScript is advantageous, as is a practical understanding of making trade-offs between rapid development and proper architecture. Beyond technical skills, a passion for team collaboration and a solution-oriented mindset will help you thrive in our innovative environment.

The role of a Backend Engineer at Packfleet involves building and maintaining robust, maintainable systems that support our delivery solutions. You will lead initiatives to enhance our backend platform, integrate with merchant APIs, and optimize our custom vehicle routing system. Additionally, you'll take the opportunity to engage with our drivers and hub staff to gain a better understanding of their needs, ensuring that we build the best solutions possible.

Yes, the Backend Engineer position at Packfleet offers a hybrid-remote work model. Our office is located in Bermondsey, London, and we encourage team members to spend at least two days per week in the office to collaborate directly with colleagues, while the remainder of the week can be spent working remotely.

As a Backend Engineer at Packfleet, you'll work with modern technologies including TypeScript, NodeJS, and Rust running on Google Cloud Platform with Kubernetes. You’ll engage with PostgreSQL for data management and use tools like GraphQL for end-to-end APIs. Our commitment to innovation means you’ll always be aligned with the latest advancements in technology as part of an agile team.

Packfleet fosters a strong, ownership-driven culture for Backend Engineers and all team members. Here, there are no product managers; instead, engineers collaborate closely with designers to make decisions and roll out product improvements. You can expect to work in a supportive and flexible environment where everyone's opinion matters and contributions are valued!

Packfleet offers a compelling benefits package for Backend Engineers which includes a competitive salary ranging from £80,000 to £100,000 based on experience, along with equity options. Additional benefits feature health insurance, a generous learning budget, 35 days of holiday, and even monthly 'Recharge Days' to unwind and enjoy team activities!

Packfleet is deeply committed to building a diverse workforce, which is reflected in our hiring policies for Backend Engineers. We particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics because we believe that diversity fosters creativity and innovation. If the role excites you, we welcome your application regardless of background or experience!

When answering this question, detail your professional journey, highlighting significant projects and technologies you’ve utilized. Discuss your experience with NodeJS or TypeScript and any relevant databases like PostgreSQL you've worked with. Emphasize specific challenges you faced and how you overcame them to showcase your problem-solving capabilities.

In your response, talk about your strategy for prioritizing tasks, mentioning methodologies like Agile or Kanban, and your approach to balancing urgency with long-term goals. Illustrating how you keep stakeholders informed and make trade-offs based on project requirements will demonstrate your organizational skills.

Discuss your strategies for code quality, such as leveraging linters, code reviews, and writing unit tests. Mention any practices you follow to ensure documentation is updated and emphasize how you value maintainability to reduce technical debt, which aligns well with Packfleet’s goals.

Provide an overview of your experience with cloud services, specifically mentioning Google Cloud Platform if applicable. Talk about deployments, service architecture, and any specific tools you’ve leveraged, such as Kubernetes or BigQuery, and how they contributed to project success.

Explain your experience with version control systems, particularly Git. Discuss your familiarity with branching strategies and collaboration with team members. Mention how you resolve conflicts and the importance of clear commit messages to ensure team transparency.

When discussing your problem-solving approach, outline a simple problem-solving framework you follow. Provide a real-world example of a challenging issue you faced in a past project, detailing how you analyzed the situation, identified solutions, and implemented a successful resolution.

Share techniques and resources you use to stay current, such as attending conferences, subscribing to tech newsletters, participating in online forums, or engaging with peer-led learning activities. This shows your commitment to professional growth, aligning with Packfleet’s innovative culture.

In your answer, briefly define GraphQL and highlight its core advantages, such as precise data retrieval, a single endpoint, and reduced over-fetching of data, which aligns well with modern web applications. Provide insights on any projects where you’ve implemented GraphQL.

Use this question to demonstrate your troubleshooting skills. Explain the performance issue, your analytical approach to diagnosing it, the steps you took to improve performance, and the outcomes achieved. This showcases not just your technical abilities but also your problem-solving mindset.

Discuss the testing tools you’re familiar with, such as Jest, Mocha, or integration testing tools. Explain how you implement various types of tests—unit tests, integration tests, end-to-end tests—to ensure high-quality code and reliable deployments, aligning with Packfleet’s culture of quality.