Back-end Engineer

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

 
The Role:

As a Backend Engineer, you’ll play a vital role in designing, building, and maintaining scalable and high-performing backend systems that support a wide range of British Council products and services used by people around the world.

You’ll apply your technical expertise to shape backend architecture, contribute to development and optimisation efforts, and ensure systems are secure, reliable, and well-integrated with client-facing applications. Your work will directly support our mission to deliver user-centred digital experiences.

Working within agile, cross-functional teams, you’ll collaborate with engineers, product managers, designers, and operations colleagues across global locations. You’ll share your knowledge, contribute to planning and delivery, and help ensure our solutions meet high standards of quality and performance.

Accountabilities:

The Backend Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining backend systems in alignment with agreed specifications and project milestones. The role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, and high-performing solutions that support British Council products and services. It includes ensuring compliance with industry standards, identifying opportunities for technical and cost optimisation, and contributing to continuous improvement through feedback, innovation, and inclusive team practices. The engineer also supports data-driven decision-making by developing analytics and reporting capabilities, while proactively managing risks and ensuring system integrity.

Requirements of the role:

• Experience in Backend engineering, involved in designing and implementing scalable and high-performance systems.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as .Net, C#, PHP, NodeJS, Python, and experience with Backend frameworks (e.g., Symfony, Express, Django).
• Good understanding of distributed system concepts, cloud architectures (e.g., AWS, Azure), and microservices architecture.
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases, data modelling, and query optimization.
• Solid knowledge of RESTful APIs, message queues, caching mechanisms, and other Backend technologies.
• Experience with end-to-end unit and integration testing (e.g., Cypress, Jest and Playwright)
• Prototyping skills
• Knowledge of resource allocation and management, and component optimisation
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience of agile development (Scrum/Kanban), software patterns, test and behaviour driven development and version control

Closing Date:   Applications will close at 23:59 on 4th February 2025 UK Time.

You must have the legal right to work in India at the time of application.

Important Information:

Department: Engineering & Development

Contract type: 12 months Fixed Term Contract
Pay band: 7

Location: Noida only (India)

Requirements:
Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing, legal right to work in India

Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided. 
 
British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service.  This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org