Senior Backend Developer (AI-First)

Today marks the beginning of something new - Welcome to Zartico!

If you thrive on solving complex problems and are excited to help shape the future through innovation, you’re in the right place.

Here at Zartico, we believe work doesn’t improve by chance - it gets better through intention, action, and growth. You’re not just joining a team - you’re joining a movement.

So let’s get started. After all, you didn’t come this far just to stop here. 

Zartico is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Backend Developer to join our team! As a Developer, you will be responsible for supporting our software development team in all aspects of the development, testing and implementation of our product. This role requires someone who thrives in an AI-augmented development environment and leverages cutting-edge AI tools to maximize productivity and code quality.

What You'll Do

Backend Development (Primary Focus)

  • Design, develop, and maintain highly efficient, scalable, and secure backend services using Python and FastAPI

  • Lead the architecture and implementation of RESTful APIs with comprehensive documentation using Swagger/OpenAPI

  • Design and optimize database schemas using SQLAlchemy and PostgreSQL to support scalable and performant microservices

  • Build spatial data services using GeoAlchemy2 and PostGIS for geographic and mapping features

  • Implement async patterns and optimize database queries for high-performance applications

  • Manage database migrations using Alembic

  • Build and document microservices with well-defined interfaces

  • Integrate with Google Cloud Platform services (Cloud SQL, Secret Manager, IAM, Cloud Run)

  • Implement secure authentication and authorization using Okta and JWT

  • Build and optimize containerized applications using Docker

  • Design and implement data pipelines and integrations with Airflow DAGs

Frontend Development (Secondary)

  • Develop responsive user interfaces using React 19 and TypeScript

  • Build components with modern frameworks including Material-UI, TailwindCSS, and Headless UI

  • Implement mapping and geospatial visualizations using Leaflet and Turf.js

  • Work with Vite build tooling and modern JavaScript ecosystem

  • Ensure type safety and code quality with TypeScript strict mode

  • Write clean, maintainable code following ESLint and Prettier standards

Code Quality & Collaboration

  • Conduct detailed code reviews and thorough pull request approvals

  • Write comprehensive unit tests using pytest and pytest-asyncio

  • Implement automated testing and CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions

  • Maintain codebase quality through refactoring and optimization

  • Work closely with Product, Data Engineering, and Data Science teams to enrich product functionality

  • Team mentorship and leadership

  • Advisory on new technologies and methodologies

AI-Augmented Development: A Core Competency

This is not optional. We expect our developers to be power users of AI coding assistants and to continuously push the boundaries of AI-augmented development. You should be as comfortable directing AI agents as you are writing code yourself.

What We're Looking For

Expertise with AI Coding Assistants

  • Extensive hands-on experience with Claude (including Projects, Artifacts, and extended thinking), GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Devin, or similar AI coding tools

  • Ability to choose the right AI tool for the task at hand

  • Understanding of when to use AI assistance vs. when to code manually

  • Track record of significantly increased productivity through AI augmentation

 

Understanding AI Capabilities & Limitations 

  • Deep familiarity with modern LLMs (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, etc.) and their capabilities

  • Understanding of context windows, token limits, and how to work within them

  • Knowledge of different AI models and when to use each (coding-specialized vs. general purpose)

  • Awareness of AI limitations and ability to verify and validate AI-generated code

 

Advanced Prompting & Planning 

  • Expert-level prompting skills: clear instructions, providing context, iterative refinement

  • Ability to break down complex tasks into AI-manageable chunks

  • Strategic planning: knowing which parts of a problem to tackle with AI first

  • Effective use of examples, constraints, and desired output formats in prompts

  • Multi-step problem decomposition and sequential prompting

 

Context Management 

  • Mastery of context management techniques for large codebases

  • Creating and maintaining comprehensive documentation for AI agents (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md style)

  • Effective use of MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers and filesystem tools

  • Understanding how to structure information for optimal AI comprehension

  • Ability to provide relevant code snippets, schemas, and architecture overviews to AI

 

Development Workflow 

  • Integration of AI tools into daily development workflow

  • Using AI for code generation, refactoring, debugging, and documentation

  • Leveraging AI for test generation and test-driven development

  • Using AI to explore unfamiliar codebases or technologies

  • Prompt templates and reusable patterns for common tasks

 

Documentation for AI Agents 

  • Creating technical documentation that serves both humans and AI agents

  • Writing comprehensive AGENTS.md files that help AI understand project architecture

  • Documenting patterns, conventions, and gotchas for AI assistance

  • Maintaining up-to-date context files as projects evolve

What Success Looks Like

  • You ship features faster without sacrificing quality

  • Your code reviews include insights about effective AI collaboration

  • You help teammates improve their AI augmentation skills

  • You contribute to team standards for AI-assisted development

  • You identify opportunities for AI to solve problems we haven't considered

What You'll Bring

Experience & Skills

  • At least 7 years of experience in backend development and microservices architectures

  • At least 5 years of experience in frontend development with modern JavaScript frameworks

  • Expert knowledge of Python, FastAPI, Pydantic, and Uvicorn

  • Strong proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, React, and modern frontend tooling

  • Proven track record of productivity gains through AI-augmented development

  • Strong understanding of both SQL (PostgreSQL) and NoSQL database systems

  • Deep expertise in SQLAlchemy (both sync and async patterns)

  • Experience with spatial databases and GeoAlchemy2/PostGIS

  • Proven experience with RESTful API design, implementation, and documentation

  • Deep understanding of API security, authentication, and authorization (OAuth, JWT, Okta)

  • Experience with Google Cloud Platform (Cloud SQL, Secret Manager, Cloud Run, IAM)

  • Proficiency with Docker and containerization

  • Experience with database migrations using Alembic

  • Strong knowledge of async/await patterns in Python

  • Knowledge of Kubernetes and orchestration technologies is a plus

  • Experience with CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, CircleCI)

  • Expertise in Git/GitHub workflows

  • Experience with testing frameworks (pytest, pytest-asyncio, pytest-mock)

  • Proficiency with API documentation and testing tools (Swagger/OpenAPI, Postman, Apidog)

  • Code quality tools: black, isort, flake8, ESLint, Prettier

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

  • Highly developed attention to detail

  • Excellent problem-solving skills with a strong analytical mindset

  • Ability to lead and educate less senior members

  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing priorities

Education and Certifications

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or related field

  • Google Cloud Certification or similar cloud certifications

  • Relevant AI/ML certifications or demonstrable expertise with AI coding tools (portfolio of AI-augmented projects)

 

Location:

Zartico is a remote-first company with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. This role is open to candidates located anywhere in the continental United States

 

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Zartico is unable to provide Visa sponsorship at this time. 

 

Why Zartico? 

Zartico is an emerging marketing technology company that applies advanced data science and proprietary technology to deliver innovative marketing performance solutions to the travel and entertainment industries. By transforming complex data into actionable insights, Zartico illuminates the hidden patterns of people and places, empowering marketers to identify and engage their ideal customers at the optimal time, optimize marketing tactics to maximize effectiveness and efficiency, and communicate real-world impact.

 

Zartico Benefits & Perks: 

  • Health, Vision and Dental.

  • HSA & FSA options available. 

  • Unlimited Paid Time Off  

  • 16 Paid company holidays

  • Winter Break (Dec 24th - Jan 2)

  • 401(K) plan