Backend Engineer

About the Role

This is a core infrastructure role at a pre-seed energy technology company building the foundational layer for next-generation electricity retail in Europe. You will work on a modular billing engine, low-level energy-market communication protocols, and a full accounting ledger, systems that power dynamic electricity plans for hardware providers and energy OEMs. The work is high-stakes, technical, and directly shapes the platform's reliability and scale.

What You'll Do

• Design systems that manage and reduce complexity across core infrastructure.
• Scale backend services to support growing platform demands reliably.
• Ship production code consistently with a strong bias for action.
• Continuously raise the quality bar for architecture, code, and engineering practices.

What We're Looking For

• At least 3 years of experience building and shipping reliable backend infrastructure in production environments.
• Proficiency in TypeScript and Node.js, with a strong grasp of asynchronous programming patterns.
• Experience with PostgreSQL and ORM-based data access (experience with Drizzle is a plus).
• Hands-on experience with Next.js backend services, including API routes or server components.
• Familiarity with distributed systems concepts and designing scalable, maintainable core services.
• Experience integrating Stripe payments and billing flows.
• Strong computer science fundamentals through a formal degree or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrable evidence of technical exceptionality, such as standout open source work, elite competition results, research contributions, or founding experience.
• Broad application-building background rather than a profile narrowly focused on a single specialized niche.
• Fluency in German at C1 level or above (non-negotiable).
• Comfort operating as a hands-on individual contributor in a fast-paced, early-stage environment.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: 80,000 to 120,000 EUR annually.
• Visa sponsorship is available.

Location

On-site in Berlin, Germany, five days per week. Remote work is not available for this role.