Senior Backend Software Engineer

Company Description Information Direct is a full-service pre-employment screening provider with decades of experience delivering fast, accurate background reports. Our platform combines expert manual research with modern software to provide criminal, civil, employment, education, drug screening, identity verification, and compliance solutions for employers across the United States. We are investing heavily in modernizing our technology platform by building scalable backend services, workflow automation, AI-assisted operational tools, and secure integrations with third-party screening providers. Our mission is to create one of the industry's most advanced background screening platforms while maintaining the accuracy, compliance, and customer service that define Information Direct.

Role Description This is a remote, full-time contract role for a Senior Backend Software Engineer. You will lead the modernization of our backend platform and help design the next generation of our background screening infrastructure. You will architect and develop secure, scalable backend systems that power high-volume screening operations, workflow automation, API integrations, and internal AI-assisted tools. The role involves designing modern REST APIs, improving database performance, integrating external vendors, implementing asynchronous processing, and deploying cloud-native services. You will work closely with leadership, product, and operations teams to translate business workflows into reliable software while ensuring security, regulatory compliance, and high system availability. This is an opportunity to influence technical architecture and play a key role in the long-term evolution of the platform.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of professional backend software development experience.
• Strong foundation in computer science, including algorithms, data structures, distributed systems, and software architecture.
• Expert-level experience with Python and Django (Django REST Framework preferred).
• Experience designing scalable REST APIs and microservices.
• Strong knowledge of PostgreSQL, database optimization, indexing, query tuning, and schema design.
• Experience building asynchronous systems using Celery, Redis, RabbitMQ, Kafka, SQS, or similar technologies.
• Experience deploying applications using Docker and cloud platforms such as AWS.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, Git, and modern development workflows.
• Experience integrating third-party APIs, webhooks, OAuth, XML, SFTP, or enterprise data exchange systems.
• Experience designing secure applications involving authentication, authorization, encryption, audit logging, and sensitive personal information.
• Understanding of multi-tenant SaaS architecture and scalable backend design.
• Experience troubleshooting production systems and improving application performance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or other LLM APIs.
• Experience building AI-assisted workflow automation or internal productivity tools.
• Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, or AI agent frameworks.
• Experience with React, Next.js, or TypeScript.
• Experience with Kubernetes, Terraform, or Infrastructure as Code.
• Experience working with HR technology, background screening, compliance software, or other regulated industries.
• Familiarity with FCRA, privacy regulations, or systems handling sensitive personal information.

What You'll Build

• Modern backend architecture for a large-scale screening platform.
• Secure multi-tenant APIs.
• Workflow automation for operational teams.
• Vendor integrations with external screening providers.
• AI-powered internal tools that improve productivity and reduce manual work.
• Scalable cloud infrastructure supporting future platform growth.