Senior Backend Engineer - Java, Spring Boot

Senior Backend Engineer @ NeuralAI Team

At Phrase, we help open the door to global business by providing the complete Phrase Localization Platform. Our unified platform is built to cover the full range of translation and localization use cases for companies of all sizes. With a global team working from our offices in Prague and Hamburg—or from home across Europe, the UK, the US, and the APAC region—we serve thousands of global customers, including leading brands such as Uber, Snowflake, Tripadvisor, Shopify, Puma, Bosch, or Lionbridge.

About the Role

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Phrase, you will take a leading role in the design, development, and maintenance of cutting-edge localization solutions with a focus on machine translation. Your responsibilities will include driving technical excellence, writing high-quality code, and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to bring the product vision to life.

While your main focus will be on software engineering, you’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to architectural decisions and technical strategy. Additionally, there are near future opportunities to grow into the role of a Tech Lead, where you will take on more responsibility in guiding teams and driving technical leadership.

You will work in close collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, and other Engineers to ensure we’re solving the right problems with the best possible solutions. The Engineering Manager will support you in your personal growth, while enabling you to focus on technical expertise.

Key Responsibilities

Software Development: Develop high-quality Java/Groovy backend services, ensuring scalability, robustness, and maintainability.
Collaboration: Work closely with technical and non-technical stakeholders to align on product vision and technical implementation.
Product Focus: Partner with Product Managers and Designers during product discovery to provide technical insights that shape the final solution.
Technical Excellence: Drive code quality, architecture, and testing practices, ensuring a scalable and maintainable codebase.
Problem Solving: Identify and solve complex technical challenges, balancing short-term product needs with long-term technical sustainability.
Mentorship: Act as a mentor to junior engineers, offering guidance on technical solutions and best practices.
Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of learning and innovation by exploring new technologies and methodologies.
Opportunity for Growth: Be prepared for future leadership opportunities, such as taking on a Tech Lead role where you'll guide teams and drive technical decisions.

Supporting Environment

Collaborate with a team that values independence while enjoying the support of a larger organization.
Work in an environment with automated testing, deployments, static code analysis, and code reviews through GitLab.
Build solutions that scale—managing terabytes of data and serving tens of thousands of requests per minute.
Engage with rapidly evolving AI technologies.
Regular discussions with Infrastructure, AI Research, and other teams to shape the future of our engineering practices.
Enjoy regular support and coaching from a dedicated Engineering Manager.

What You Should Have Already Experienced

Role Experience: Proven experience as a Senior Backend Engineer in a product-focused environment.
Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in Java and Spring Boot, with a solid understanding of software architecture and best practices.
Problem Solver: Strong analytical skills, capable of balancing technical challenges with business needs.
Communication: Excellent communication skills, able to articulate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical team members.

Our Current Tech Stack @ Phrase

Java 17/21
Spring Boot
Groovy/Grails
SQL and NoSQL databases (MariaDB, MongoDB)
Streaming and queuing (Kafka, RabbitMQ)
GitLab CI, AWS

What you’ll get

4 Company holidays additional to your regular holidays (1 day per quarter where the entire company is off to celebrate our achievements).
Your birthday is off because it is important to celebrate you as well.
2 Giveback days where you can support the local community, volunteer, and/or participate in charity events and activities.
Professional and extensive onboarding.
Learning & development through Phrase learning and a dedicated ChatGPT Plus user license.
Additional local benefits depending on the entity you're hired at, just ask your Talent Acquisition Partner.

Phrase is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We value and welcome different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds as we believe that these differences make our team even stronger on our mission of bringing the world closer together by making content accessible to everyone in their native language.