Senior Backend (Full-stack) Engineer

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Rivia is seeking a Senior Backend (Full-stack) Engineer in Zurich to design and own scalable backend services and data infrastructure powering a clinical trial data platform. You'll own APIs, data models, cloud integrations, and contribute across the stack while collaborating with product, data, and frontend teams to ship iteratively. The ideal candidate has strong backend experience (Java/Spring, Postgres), data modeling and performance tuning for data-heavy workloads, and comfort with AWS and Kubernetes; willingness to learn new technologies, and the ability to thrive in a startup environment. The role is onsite in Zurich; the interview process spans HR intro, two technical interviews, and a team visit. Emphasize ownership, clarity, and impact on patient outcomes.

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About RiviaRivia is a data engine for clinical trial intelligence. It provides data infrastructure and AI-driven workflows for clinical trial teams, enabling biotechs to run studies more efficiently and to demonstrate which patients derive the greatest benefit from new therapies. Biopharma companies are the source of most therapeutic innovation, yet clinical development is frequently slowed by fragmented data and outdated tooling. Rivia delivers a real-time, integrated view across clinical trial data, improving both trial execution and the evaluation of new treatments.Our goal is for Rivia to become the new standard infrastructure for modern drug development, bringing new therapies to market more successfully at a fraction of the cost.
The RoleAs a Senior Backend Engineer, you will lead the design and implementation of scalable backend services and data infrastructure that power our clinical trial data platform. You will own major parts of our backend architecture, from APIs and data models to integration with cloud services and machine learning components, while being comfortable contributing across the stack when needed. You will collaborate closely with product, data, and frontend teams to ship high-quality features iteratively and help shape the future of our platform.To succeed in this role, you should have a passion for iterative product development and possess a strategic, analytical mindset. You should be comfortable navigating the uncertainties of a startup environment, adaptable to shifting priorities, and driven to transform the pharmaceutical industry. Embrace the challenge of building the future of clinical trial technology and help realize Rivia's vision of becoming the definitive unified data infrastructure for clinical trials.
Our stackSome technologies we use today: Typescript, React, Java, Python, Spring, Postgres, GPT-4, AWS, Kubernetes.There's no need to be a prior expert in our stack; it's more important that you learn new technologies quickly.
Working Model: This role is based on-site in our Zürich office

What excites you

• Building high quality software that delights end users
• Owning the architecture, implementation, and operation of core backend services and APIs.
• Designing robust data models and storage patterns that make complex clinical trial data manageable and performant.
• Solving hard problems around scalability, reliability, and performance in a data-heavy environment.
• Thriving in a fast-paced startup environment where you have autonomy over your work and make strategic decisions that impact users and the team
• Working with cloud infrastructure and modern tooling to build secure, observable, and maintainable services

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs (primarily in Java/Spring) that power our clinical trial platform.
• Model, store, and query complex data efficiently in Postgres and related data systems.
• Implement and maintain integrations and pipelines that ingest and process data from multiple sources.
• Collaborate with frontend engineers to define API contracts and, when needed, contribute full‑stack changes to ship complete features.
• Ensure high availability, observability, and security of backend services through monitoring, testing, and sound operational practices.
• Participate in technical planning, code reviews, and knowledge sharing to continuously improve the team’s effectiveness.

What Excites us

• Strong experience building and operating backend services in production, ideally with Java, Spring, and relational databases like Postgres.
• A solid understanding of system design, data modeling, and performance optimization for data-intensive applications.
• Experience working with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS) and containerized environments (e.g., Docker/Kubernetes).
• A track record of taking ownership of projects, from design through to deployment and maintenance.
• Ability and willingness to work across the stack when required to deliver high-quality product experiences.
• Clear communication, collaborative mindset, and enthusiasm for working in a fast-moving startup environment.

Hiring Process

Our hiring process takes 2-4 weeks over four distinct stages:

1. Meet and greet: 30-minute call with the HR team to get to know each other. This is an informal chat.
2. Technical Interview I: 60-minute interview to delve into high-level technical concepts and your problem-solving approaches.
3. Technical Interview II: Start with a 60-minute discussion with Tiago, our CTO, to introduce you to Rivia and discuss the role in detail.
4. Meet the team: 2-3 hours. Join us at our Zürich office for a visit that includes a team lunch and an in-depth technical interview to explore our mutual fit.

Our Values 

At Rivia, we are committed to excellence, continuous learning, and the success of both our customers and our team. If you are driven to exceed targets, eager to shape the future of clinical trials, and passionate about making a meaningful difference in the biotech industry, Rivia is the place for you.

• In it to Win it: Approach every challenge with determination, resilience, and a drive, aiming for the best outcomes and solutions.
• Embrace change: We see change as an opportunity for growth, innovation, and improvement, continuously evolving to stay one step ahead
• Why not?: Asking why not, instead of why, allows us to show our curiosity, allowing us to challenge assumptions and explore new possibilities.
• Find the gap: We are curious and we proactively approach identifying opportunities and solving problems before they arise.
• Collective accountability: We are one team, on one mission and we are committed to shared responsibilities and mutual support, enabling trust and collaboration.
• Value add solutions: Know better. Act better. We are dedicated to delivering meaningful and impactful results.