Application Engineer - III

This role provides advanced-level system analysis, design, development, and implementation of applications and databases under general direction, and leads backend optimization, data integration, documentation, and secure, scalable architecture aligned with enterprise standards.

We are looking for an experienced Server-Side Python/AWS Developer to join a Full-Stack team embracing New Ways of Working (NWoW) in Vanguards Global Investments Financial Systems (GIFS) division.

We are rapidly expanding our technology presence in India, so this is an exciting opportunity to join the team, contribute to delivery, build technical depth, and gain exposure to the Investment Management apparatus at Vanguard.

This team builds and supports the technology platforms that enable Vanguards Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data capabilities. The team acquires, manages, enriches and distributes ESG data across the firm. This includes building data ingestion pipelines, APIs, cloud-based data services and workflow capabilities that help ensure ESG data is accurate, secure, well-governed and readily accessible to downstream consumers.

This role focuses on building event-driven, cloud-native systems using Python and AWS, with particular emphasis on Amazon S3 (including Access Points) and DynamoDB, and orchestration via AWS Lambda, Step Functions, and ECS. The team uses agile methodologies and operates a continuous delivery pipeline.

Good hands-on experience implementing Python-based services in a production environment is required. Practical knowledge of AWS or other cloud provider core services is expected.

The successful candidate will be a motivated developer with strong problem-solving skills, a commitment to quality, and good documentation and testing habits. This role requires strong communication and collaboration skills, as well as a proactive mindsetincluding asking clarifying questions, identifying edge cases, and surfacing risks early.

The role includes daily interaction with business partners and product managers, making effective written and verbal communication essential.

Join us and help us innovate for client success!

Collaborate closely with business users, product managers, and engineering partners - actively asking questions and clarifying requirements to ensure high-quality outcomes.

Build and maintain Python-based services on AWS, using event-driven patterns tied to S3, DynamoDB, Lambda, Step Functions, and ECS.

S3 buckets and Access Points

Bucket/object modelling and partitioning

DynamoDB and NoSQL data modelling

REST / GraphQL APIs

Encryption/KMS policies

Performance and scalability considerations

Integrate S3 and DynamoDB with event-driven compute (Lambda), orchestrated workflows (Step Functions), and container workloads (ECS).

Support end-to-end testing for event-driven systems, including integration testing, schema validation, replay/idempotency scenarios, and testing across AWS services.

Work with Avro for data serialization, including schema usage, schema evolution concepts, and Python libraries such as fastavro or avro.

Maintain good engineering practices through clean code, code reviews, documentation, observability, resilience, and operational readiness.

Provide 3rd-line support as needed and contribute to continuous improvement.

Minimum 5 years of experience in software development, system integration, database design, and back-end architecture.

Bachelors degree (B.E./B.Tech) in relevant fields such as Computer Science, or a Masters degree/Diploma in Computer Science.

Object-oriented programming

Type hints and static analysis

Packaging, virtual environments, and dependency management

Concurrency (multiprocessing)

Testing experience using pytest, unittest, and related frameworks

S3 Access Points and fine-grained IAM controls

Lifecycle rules, storage classes, multipart uploads

DynamoDB in AWS

AWS Lambda (serverless patterns, event integration, concurrency & retries)

AWS Step Functions (workflow orchestration, error handling, compensating flows)

Amazon ECS (task definitions, service scaling, container orchestration)

Contract testing and integration testing concepts

Avro schema validation and compatibility testing

Integration tests across S3 Lambda Step Functions ECS pipelines

Monitoring and observability validation

Understanding of schema design and evolution strategies

Efficient read/write using fastavro, etc.

Handling large datasets and streaming workflows

Experience with cloud-native CI/CD, logging, and monitoring tools (Git/Bitbucket, CloudWatch, Splunk, etc.)

Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly to a range of stakeholders.

Proactive mindset: asks questions, uncovers assumptions, proposes solutions early, and takes initiative.

Ability to work under pressure, prioritise effectively, and meet tight deadlines.

Familiarity with agile practices and tools such as JIRA and Confluence.