Remote Scala Backend Engineer — Scalable API Expert

Scala Developer - UK/Remote

My client are seeking a talented Scala Developer to join their engineering team and contribute to the design and development of scalable, high‑performance applications. This role involves working on modern distributed systems, building APIs, and collaborating with cross‑functional teams to deliver enterprise‑grade solutions.

Key responsibilities:

• Design, develop and maintain backend services and APIs using Scala and Play Framework.
• Implement RESTful endpoints, manage request/response lifecycle, and handle authentication/authorization flows.
• Write well-structured, idiomatic Scala and use functional programming patterns where appropriate.
• Build and maintain automated tests (unit, integration), and support test automation efforts.
• Collaborate with product owners, UX, QA, and other engineers in an Agile environment (Scrum/Kanban).
• Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions and pair programming.
• Troubleshoot and resolve production issues; contribute to reliability and observability (logging, metrics, alerts).
• Help define CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes (e.g., Jenkins/GitHub Actions/Concourse).
• Produce concise technical documentation and handover notes.

Must-have skills & experience:

• Strong professional experience with Scala (minimum 3+ years).
• Hands-on experience with Play Framework (2+ years) — building controllers, routing, forms, and HTTP filters.
• Solid understanding of functional programming concepts and idiomatic Scala (e.g., immutability, monads, cats/Scalaz familiarity advantageous).
• Experience designing and consuming REST APIs, JSON validation/serialization (Play JSON, Circe).
• Experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL) and/or NoSQL (MongoDB), including schema design and query optimisation.
• Proven experience writing unit and integration tests (ScalaTest, Specs2, Mockito, etc.).
• Familiarity with build tools (sbt) and dependency management.
• Experience with Git and branching strategies.
• Good understanding of HTTP, web security best practices, and performance considerations.
• Experience working in Agile teams and participating in ceremonies.