Senior/Staff Backend Engineer (Rust/Python)

Unlike other companies, being a Senior Engineer isn't just a pay grade or empty title for us here at akeno. It's a distinction! It means you have built successful products in the past, faced mysterious production errors and came out on top of them, know how to get stuff done right, not just fast, and you are not afraid of working on hard problems that haven't been solved before.

Being a Senior Backend Engineer means you can see a feature's implications for the database, API and related services — even for complex topics like scheduling and other NP-hard problems. You'll be working in our AI & Optimization Team with teammates who "know their stuff" — colleagues who are there when you need them and who will rely on you and your engineering expertise. The automation framework and simulation engine at the core of our product will be your home turf: you'll design, build and evolve them together with the team — from the algorithms inside to the APIs they expose. We don't have dedicated architects or tech leads because frankly — if you're a true senior — you should be capable of creating a great first draft yourself.

Additionally you will have Full Stack colleagues doing the heavy lifting to incorporate the systems you build into our application.

You will be working at the heart of our planning and scheduling engine. We are rapidly changing and evolving our core logics and algorithms to achieve a lasting positive impact on the performance of our customers' supply chains. The backend is a hybrid combination of automation, simulation, and optimization components. You will be working on extending our core engine, improving performance, modeling new constraints, and more.

You will be facing complex requirements in a complex domain — which is inherently not mathematically end-to-end solvable. So if you are keen to work on scalable, generic solutions for complex mathematical problems — you have found your match!

What you will be doing

• Extend our simulation and automation engine (mainly constraint propagation & complex state searches) in Python
• Design and implement algorithms for scheduling and planning problems together with the team
• Interface design and evaluation of simulation and optimization components for web services & APIs
• Benchmark and improve performance of critical backend services
• Set up APIs and services to integrate our automation backend with the rest of the application
• Development of a DSL-like automation engine using different technologies (mostly hybrid systems between Python and Rust)
• Porting performance critical code from Python to Rust (with Python bindings)
• Test suite maintenance and extension for simulation and optimization components

Requirements

• Extensive knowledge and expertise in coding in Python (staff level knowledge)
• Extensive knowledge and expertise in coding in Rust (3 years or more experience)
• Experience in building performance critical backend services
• Experience building long-term sustainable software end-to-end
• Capability to work independently on complex subtopics
• Capability to work in large and complex codebases

Nice to have

• Experience in designing and developing DSLs
• Experience in classical mathematical optimization
• Experience in heuristic search algorithms
• Experience with meta-heuristic optimizations

Tech-Stack

• Ruff
• uv and ty
• FastAPI
• Pydantic/Pydantic AI
• Hypothesis
• PyArrow
• 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:

• Annual compensation plus significant stock options
• Relocation Package – We provide full support to help you settle in smoothly, including relocation assistance and accommodation guidance
• Visa Sponsorship – Comprehensive visa support
• 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 fuelled 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 and studies don’t always fit a 9–5
• Regular Team Events – From lunches to offsites—we celebrate the wins (big and small) together