Senior Backend Engineer · Python, FastAPI, Go · Distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and AI integrations
| 7+ years shipping backend systems |
$1.2M+ / year saved through automation at Noon |
95% fewer daily support contacts |
7-person squad led as tech lead |
I build the backend layer that products stand on: APIs, event-driven services, payment and finance workflows, and the infrastructure that keeps them observable and boring in production. Most recently I worked on backend and distributed systems at Motive, and before that I led the Aftersales squad at Noon (Dubai), where my team rebuilt the post-purchase journey across payments, logistics, and returns.
I came up through competitive programming (two ICPC Asia gold medals) and I still like problems where the right data structure or the right queue design is the whole answer. These days I spend a lot of that energy on AI integrations, LLM-backed features, and open-source tooling around FastAPI. I also founded PCPers, a competitive programming community in Pakistan.
Currently open to Senior Backend / Platform roles, remote or relocation.
| Area | What I reach for |
|---|---|
| Languages | Python · Go · TypeScript · Rust · C/C++ · Ruby · Kotlin/Java |
| Backend | FastAPI · Django · Flask · aiohttp · Spring Boot · Ruby on Rails · Node.js |
| Data & messaging | PostgreSQL · MySQL · Redis · MongoDB · Elasticsearch · ArangoDB · Kafka · RabbitMQ · Google Pub/Sub · AWS SQS |
| Cloud & DevOps | AWS (ECS, Lambda, RDS, S3, SQS, IAM) · GCP (BigQuery, Pub/Sub) · Docker · Kubernetes · Terraform · Ansible · GitHub Actions · Jenkins · GitLab CI |
| Observability | OpenTelemetry · Prometheus · Grafana · ELK |
| AI / ML | Gemini API · LangChain · RAG pipelines · HuggingFace · scikit-learn · OpenCV · TensorFlow Lite · custom agents |
| Frontend | React · Vite · Next.js · Orval (typed clients from OpenAPI) |
| Also | Zero Trust / IAM (ZTNA) · Ethereum & Solidity · Hyperledger Fabric · Web3.js / Ethers.js |
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Open-source, self-hostable issue tracker inspired by Linear: teams, projects, a drag-and-drop kanban board, labels, comments, and filtering. Runs with one Stack: FastAPI · SQLModel · PostgreSQL/SQLite · JWT · React · Vite · TypeScript · Tailwind · TanStack Query · Orval |
Open-source, text-first interactive interview prep courses. Every few paragraphs you have to do something: answer, recall, predict what breaks. Courses are Markdown files, so anyone can fork or fix one via PR. Stack: Python · FastAPI · React · Markdown course format |
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An AI-powered, cross-platform operating system with a Rust kernel and a Flutter GUI. Targets PC (x86_64) and smartphones (ARM64), with local and server-backed AI for low-power devices. Stack: Rust · C · Flutter · Tags: |
A modern learning management system for schools, colleges, and universities: role-based access, online classes, exams, and reporting. Stack: FastAPI · React/Next.js · PostgreSQL · Docker · Tags: |
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Personal knowledge management with retrieval-augmented generation: AI-assisted querying and contextual search over your own notes. Stack: FastAPI · LangChain · RAG · Tags: |
Android app fusing computer vision with USB radar sensors for real-time object detection on device. Stack: Kotlin · TensorFlow Lite · USB radar sensors · Tags: |
Small, production-shaped repos I use to show how I structure backend services.
| Repo | What it demonstrates |
|---|---|
| demo-multi-tenant-microservices | Multi-tenant, event-driven microservices: tenant-scoped auth, FastAPI, Celery, RabbitMQ, PostgreSQL |
| Health-Seeker-Backend | Healthcare workflow API with JWT auth, role-aware authorization, appointment automation, audit-friendly background jobs |
| Demo-Fastapi-Next-Celery-Project | Full-stack campaign scheduler: FastAPI + MySQL + Redis + Celery + Next.js, one-command Docker Compose |
| webhook-integration-demo | Production-style webhook receiver in FastAPI: HMAC-signed payload validation and safe downstream processing |
| Where | What I did |
|---|---|
| Motive Senior Software Engineer, Backend & Distributed Systems Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 |
Backend services and event-driven pipelines for fleet telematics on AWS (SQS with dead-letter queues, Python/Go). LLM-backed features on the Gemini API. |
| Noon / Namshi (Dubai) SDE-2 · Tech Lead, Aftersales Oct 2023 to Jan 2026 |
Led a 7-person squad and rebuilt the post-purchase journey (payments, refunds, cashback, returns) as event-driven FastAPI services with sagas/outbox, idempotent consumers, and OpenTelemetry end to end. Automation saved $1.2M+ per year, the returns redesign cut daily support contacts 95%, and the SMS to WhatsApp and Zendesk to Zoho migrations each cut costs ~70%. Also shipped Gemini content moderation, ML instant-refund eligibility, and Noon BNPL microservices (Spring Boot, Python, Go). |
| JiBe ERP (Remote) Senior Software Engineer, Python Jan 2023 to Oct 2023 |
ERP finance modules (AR/AP, invoicing, reconciliation). Broke a monolith into modular services. Async transaction pipelines on Dramatiq/Celery with RabbitMQ. |
| PakWheels (Lahore) Software Engineer, Full Stack Jun 2021 to Jan 2023 |
High-traffic APIs and search for Pakistan's largest automotive marketplace. Query optimization took page load from 1.2s to 200ms. Rails + React, Kafka-backed pipelines. |
| Ebryx (Lahore) Software Engineer, Cybersecurity May 2019 to Jun 2021 |
Secure cross-platform backend APIs (Python + C++14) for Invisily, a Zero Trust Network Access product. IAM, audit logging, and encryption hardening. |
- 🥇 ICPC Asia West Regional: two gold medals plus multiple silvers across consecutive contests
- 🧑🤝🧑 Founder, PCPers: a competitive programming community in Pakistan
- 🛠️ Open source: building FastAPI-based tools in public (SoftTrack, Roundhouse) and working through issues in Python and C++ projects
- 🧠 Tinkering: OS internals in Rust, on-device AI, and anything with a queue in it
I'm always up for collaborations, open-source work, and interesting backend problems.
📫 wak327@gmail.com · 💼 LinkedIn · 🌍 waleedkhalid.me
SEO Keywords
- Backend Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Cloud Engineer, AI/ML Engineer, Blockchain Developer, Cybersecurity Engineer
- Full Stack Developer, Open Source Contributor, Problem Solver, System Architect
- Languages: Python, Rust, Go, Ruby on Rails, C++, Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, TypeScript
- Frameworks: FastAPI, Django, Flask, Node.js, React, Next.js, Spring Boot
- Cloud: AWS, GCP, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, Jenkins, CI/CD
- Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, ArangoDB, Elasticsearch
- Specialties: Microservices, Distributed Systems, Event Driven Architecture, System Design, Infrastructure as Code
- AI/ML: NLP, RAG Systems, LangChain, HuggingFace, OpenAI, Gemini API, Computer Vision, TensorFlow Lite, OpenCV
- Blockchain: Ethereum, Solidity, Smart Contracts, Hyperledger Fabric, Web3.js, DeFi, NFTs, DApps
- Cybersecurity: Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Invisily, IAM, Audit Logging, Secure Backend Engineering
- Companies: Motive, Noon / Namshi, JiBe ERP, PakWheels (#1 automotive classified in Pakistan), Ebryx (Cybersecurity)