Senior Backend Engineer (Python) Tech Lead

About RightWalk

RightWalk Foundation (RWF)

Our Mission:

Our Vision:

enabling over 950,000 children

The Opportunity: Senior Backend Engineer (Python) / Tech Lead

As Senior Backend Engineer / Tech Lead, you will own the backend architecture and LLM/agent infrastructure powering our Chatbot platforms. Our stack includes FastAPI, async Python, SQLAlchemy/ Alembic, Redis, Playwright automation, and LiteLLM/OpenAI integrations. You will serve as the technical lead for architecture, reliability, cost optimization, and team mentorship, ensuring robust, scalable, and efficient systems.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives on solving complex backend challenges, building scalable AI-driven platforms, and guiding engineers to excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Backend Architecture & Delivery

• Lead design and implementation of backend systems including conversation graphs, LLM integrations, persistence layers, and automation workflows.
• Define and evolve architecture to ensure scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate backend services with chatbot platforms and external systems.

LLM Pipelines & Integrations

• Implement robust LLM call pipelines including context construction, token management, safety filters, retries, and cost controls.
• Design inbound webhook adapters and outbound flows for

  io / WhatsApp orchestration

  , ensuring idempotency, retries, and observability.
• Optimize performance of LiteLLM/OpenAI integrations to deliver seamless AI experiences.

Data Persistence & Storage

• Own persistence patterns using

  Postgres + SQLAlchemy/Alembic

  and Redis for session/history management.
• Design and manage embedding/vector workflows to support intelligent retrieval and personalization.
• Establish standards for database migrations, indexing, and query optimization.

Reliability, Testing & DevOps

• Improve CI/CD pipelines, test coverage, and release reliability across environments.
• Implement monitoring and observability frameworks (Prometheus, Grafana, Sentry) to ensure uptime and performance.
• Drive best practices in containerization, deployment, and automation (Docker, Kubernetes/Helm).

Technical Leadership & Mentorship

• Mentor engineers through code reviews, knowledge sharing, and technical guidance.
• Define coding standards, enforce engineering best practices, and champion a strong testing culture (pytest).
• Participate in technical hiring and ensure continuous capability building within the team.

Who Will Thrive in This Role? -

• BE/B.Tech preferably in Computer Science or allied areas
• 6+ years of backend engineering with at least 3+ years in technical leadership or project ownership.
• Deep expertise in Python (asyncio), FastAPI, async SQLAlchemy/Alembic, Postgres, and Redis.
• Proven experience integrating LLMs or similar AI systems (prompt pipelines, safety frameworks).
• Hands-on experience with Playwright or other browser automation tools.
• Strong foundation in testing, observability, CI/CD, Docker, and deployment practices.

Bonus if you have:

• Exposure to LiteLLM, Langfuse, sentence-transformers, vector DBs, or embedding pipelines.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes/Helm for container orchestration.
• Working knowledge of TypeScript and React to collaborate effectively with frontend teams.

At RightWalk, thriving also means embodying our core values every day

• Integrity & Ethics:

  Do what’s right, always.

• Ownership & Excellence:

  Take full charge, no excuses.

• Resilience & Audacity:

  Be fearless, even when it’s hard.

• Empathy & End-User First:

  Listen, understand, and design what matters most.

• Helicopter Mindset:

  Zoom out to think big, zoom in to deliver relentlessly.