Senior Backend Engineer

At Phrase, we help open the door to global business by providing the world’s most comprehensive localization platform. 

We’re transforming language technology with our AI platform to give people the content they need, in the language they speak. Whether it's for digital products like an app or website, marketing comms, legal literature, internal comms or customer service messaging, Phrase ensures that content always hits its mark by being on brand, consistent, and culturally resonant. 

With a global team working from our offices in Hamburg and Prague—or from home across Europe, the UK, the US, and the APAC region—we help organizations like Uber, Shopify, Puma, Snowflake, Volkswagen and thousands of others engage their customers at scale to accelerate growth.

Join our Linguistic Assets team at Phrase—home to the core services behind our AI/MT-powered localization platform. We build intelligent systems that drive translation memory, terminology management, and more.

We’re a remote-first, cross-functional team with strong product ownership and a passion for innovation. While we have offices in Hamburg and Prague, we welcome applicants from across the EU.

We're looking for a Senior Java Backend Engineer to help shape the next generation of our language intelligence technology. You’ll play a key role in designing scalable backend systems that underpin our AI-driven localization features.

What you’ll be responsible for:

In this role you’ll not only develop stories, but take ideas through technical design, implementation, until deployment. You’ll take responsibility for architectural decisions, mentor and support junior engineers, and help the team continuously raise the bar for quality, performance, and scalability.

You’ll collaborate cross-functionally with frontend developers, QA engineers, product managers, and designers to deliver impactful features in a team that values autonomy, product thinking, and continuous learning. As a senior engineer, you’ll be instrumental in driving both the technical direction and team culture forward.

What you need:

• Deep experience with Java and Spring Boot, with a strong grasp of backend architecture patterns and microservices.
• Proven ability to design and maintain production-grade services, balancing technical complexity with real-world business impact.
• Experience working with relational and NoSQL databases, optimizing performance and ensuring data integrity at scale.
• Familiarity with event-driven systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Kafka, RabbitMQ).
• A collaborative mindset and excellent communication skills—able to lead discussions, provide feedback, and support teammates.
• A passion for mentorship, knowledge sharing, and helping others grow.
• Interest in AI/MT technologies and the unique challenges of localization infrastructure.
• Experience working in remote, agile development teams with a culture of ownership and iteration.
  
  

Bonus Points For

• Hands-on experience with frontend development (e.g., Vue.js).
• Familiarity with DevOps tools and infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Kubernetes, Terraform).
  Contributions to open source or tech communities.
  
  

Our current tech stack in this role:

• Core Technologies: Java (JDK 21+), Spring Boot, Maven, Vue.js (for frontend)
• Databases: MariaDB, MongoDB, Elasticsearch, Snowflake
• Messaging & Infra: RabbitMQ, Kafka, AWS, GitHub CI/CD, Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes
• Tooling: Datadog, logz.io, Cursor, JetBrains AI, GitHub Copilot

What you’ll get:

• Work experience in a successful and growing global SaaS company
• Be part of an international team of 300+ in Europe, APAC, and the Americas
• Expert colleagues in their field who are determined to build the best localization platform on the market, creating a world where language never limits opportunity
• An agile work environment, where it is encouraged to take smart risks
• Take part in a culture full of trust, support and loyalty, where respectful and open feedback is valued, and diversity is fully embraced
• A positive, open-minded, and innovative atmosphere
• Support in your professional development and personal career goals

What's on top:

• 4 Company holidays additional to your regular holidays (1 day per quarter where the entire company is off to celebrate our achievements).
• In addition, the company also provides employees with a Christmas break to allow you to spend time with family and friends without use of your vacation allocation. 
• 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

At Phrase we believe in the critical importance of diversity in all its forms and intersectionalities, and are committed to ensuring that the people we interview reflect this diversity. We therefore strongly encourage people of any identity to apply for our exciting career opportunities. We have taken an active decision to make our work environment inclusive every day, starting at the very beginning of your Phrase experience.

We value and welcome different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds as we believe that these differences make our team even stronger on our mission of opening the door to global business by giving everybody access to the content they need in the language they speak.