Pavago's client is hiring a Senior Backend Engineer - (.NET / AI Systems)

Pavago's client is hiring a Senior Backend Engineer to own the entire technical function of an early-stage SaaS platform. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll write production code daily while making architecture, infrastructure, and AI system decisions for a platform operating at scale. You'll be accountable for backend architecture, system reliability, AI pipelines, and guiding a small development team.

What You'll Do

• Design, build, and maintain a .NET 8.0 / C# backend using Clean Architecture and DDD principles.
• Own the architecture and codebase across 14+ independently deployed microservices.
• Deliver new features, refactor existing systems, and resolve performance bottlenecks.
• Design and operate production-grade AI pipelines across multiple LLM providers.
• Optimize prompts and workflows for batch processing, personalization, and segmentation at scale.
• Manage rate limits, failover strategies, and cost optimization across AI providers.
• Manage MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB in production environments.
• Oversee bulk writes, caching strategies, event streams, and analytics pipelines.
• Ensure data consistency and performance across distributed services.
• Own Linux-based infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and service deployments.
• Implement centralized logging, monitoring, alerting, and uptime tracking.
• Proactively identify and mitigate reliability and scalability risks.
• Manage 25+ third-party API integrations used in production.
• Design retry, fallback, and graceful degradation strategies.
• Ensure system stability when external providers fail or degrade.
• Lead and mentor a small engineering team through code reviews and architectural guidance.
• Set and enforce engineering standards, workflows, and best practices.
• Collaborate closely with the founder on product direction and technical strategy.

What We're Looking For

• Deep expertise in .NET 8.0, C#, ASP.NET Core, and Entity Framework Core.
• Experience with distributed systems and independently deployed services.
• Strong production experience with MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB.
• Hands-on DevOps experience with Linux servers and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience managing large numbers of third-party API integrations.
• Proven experience building and operating AI/LLM systems at scale.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development tools and workflows.
• Strong understanding of monitoring, observability, and incident prevention.
• Experience leading small engineering teams.
• Strong English communication skills.

Technical Stack

• .NET 8.0, C#, ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework Core
• MySQL, Redis, MongoDB
• Linux

Team & Environment

This is a hands-on leadership role guiding a small development team. You will collaborate closely with the founder.

Work Mode

This is a fully remote position for candidates located in South Africa.

We are seeking someone who thrives in early-stage startup environments, balances fast execution with long-term architectural thinking, and takes ownership of reliability, performance, and technical outcomes.