Senior Backend Engineer (Kotlin / AI)

At Sytac, we build high-performing engineering teams for leading organizations. We combine a pragmatic, people-first culture with technical craftsmanship, giving engineers autonomy in real production environments.

For one of our key clients in the Netherlands, we are looking for a Senior Backend Engineer (Kotlin / AI) who wants to do more than write clean code someone ready to reinvent how food retail works from the inside out. You'll be building the intelligent backend systems that power real-time, AI-driven customer experiences at scale.

What you'll do

• Design, build, and maintain Kotlin-based backend services, APIs, and integrations in a complex, high-traffic retail environment.
• Work on the systems behind real-time conversational experiences, including an AI-powered chatbot used by millions.
• Integrate LLM capabilities into production systems — taking ideas from proof-of-concept to reliable, scalable deployment.
• Take full ownership from design through deployment and ongoing operation — you ship it, you run it.
• Build and maintain robust integrations with existing systems, ensuring consistent and reliable data flows.
• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, engineers, and stakeholders to turn ideas into working solutions, fast.
• Contribute to new initiatives across both AI-driven and traditional backend services.
• Ensure systems are scalable, reliable, and maintainable in one of Europe's most complex retail environments.

What we're looking for

• 8+ years of experience as a backend engineer; 5+ Kotlin experience will be considered.
• Solid hands-on experience with Spring / Spring Boot.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• Proven track record building and maintaining APIs, integrations, and backend services.
• Comfortable working with relational and/or NoSQL databases.
• A DevOps mindset — you're at ease with CI/CD pipelines, deployments, and owning services end to end.
• Experience working in Agile product teams with a fast-moving, delivery-focused culture.
• Strong analytical skills and a pragmatic approach to complexity.

Nice to have

• Willingness and ability to work with Python when needed, particularly for AI/LLM-related use cases.
• Experience with modern developer tooling such as GitHub Copilot and similar AI assistants.
• A genuine curiosity about how AI can reshape large-scale consumer experiences.

Life at Sytac

Working at Sytac means joining a community that prioritizes your growth. Our benefits package is designed for flexibility, learning, and adventure:

• Unlimited Growth Days: Enjoy your professional development and Sytac activities! 📚
• The Best Gear: Pick a private laptop (<€4,000) with 50% paid by us, plus a tech budget. 💻
• Invest in You: A €2,400 annual growth budget for training and conferences. 🌿
• Future Proof: We contribute 3.75% to your pension.
• Legendary Trips: Join our annual ski trips, beach BBQs, and epic parties! ⛷️