BACKEND & AI DEVELOPER – MID (HYBRID)

BACKEND & AI DEVELOPER – MID (HYBRID PORTO)

Portuguese company hires for hybrid position

Location: Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

️ Only candidates already based in Portugal will be considered

Work Model: Hybrid – 2 to 3 days per week at the office

️ Language Requirements: English B2 or higher and fluent Portuguese

Seniority: Mid-level (3-4 years)

Rate Between €2000 - 2300 RV

️ Instructions: Please send your CV in English and make sure to include all skills and experience that match the requirements of the opportunity. This will significantly increase your chances of success

About the Opportunity

We are looking for a Backend & AI Developer with strong Java experience and an AI-first engineering mindset.

You will join a collaborative technology team responsible for designing, developing, testing, and maintaining reliable backend services and APIs. Artificial Intelligence will be a core part of your daily workflow, helping you accelerate development, automated testing, debugging, code reviews, and CI/CD troubleshooting.

This is an excellent opportunity for a backend developer who is curious about emerging AI technologies and understands how to use them responsibly to improve engineering speed, quality, and decision-making.

What You Will Do

Design, develop, and maintain backend services and APIs using Java;

Build scalable Java-based microservices for production environments;

Use AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, GitLab Duo, Claude Code, or equivalent solutions;

Apply AI tools to coding, debugging, refactoring, testing, documentation, and code reviews;

Deliver backend features, integrations, bug fixes, and technical improvements;

Write and maintain automated unit and integration tests;

Use AI assistance to accelerate test creation and improve code coverage;

Participate in peer and AI-assisted code reviews;

Ensure compliance with internal engineering, security, and code-quality standards;

Investigate and resolve issues in CI/CD pipelines;

Use AI tools to support root-cause analysis and technical troubleshooting;

Understand the business and functional context of each feature before designing the technical solution;

Collaborate closely with backend engineers, QA professionals, product teams, and other stakeholders;

Contribute to the responsible adoption of AI within software engineering practices.

Essential Requirements

Approximately 3 to 4 years of professional software development experience, with strong hands-on backend exposure;

Solid professional experience with Java;

Practical experience using AI-assisted development tools such as:

GitHub Copilot;

GitLab Duo;

Claude Code;

Cursor;

Amazon Q Developer;

Or comparable tools;

Ability to demonstrate how AI tools have been incorporated into daily software development activities;

Experience designing and developing APIs;

Experience building Java-based microservices;

Understanding of scalable and reliable production systems;

Experience writing automated unit and integration tests;

Familiarity with code reviews and software engineering quality standards;

Ability to understand functional requirements and business rules before proposing technical solutions;

Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills;

Attention to detail and commitment to code quality;

Good written and verbal communication skills in English, at least B2 level;

Fluency in Portuguese;

Ability to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams;

Availability to work from the Leça da Palmeira office 2 to 3 days per week.

Preferred Qualifications

Hands-on experience with Quarkus;

Experience with CI/CD pipelines;

Familiarity with GitLab and GitLab Duo;

Experience using Claude Code in professional software development;

Knowledge of testing frameworks within the Java ecosystem;

Experience with API integrations and distributed systems;

Familiarity with responsible AI practices, including output validation, security, privacy, and intellectual property considerations;

Experience introducing or promoting AI-assisted engineering practices within a development team.

Important Clarification About the AI Requirement

This role requires practical experience using AI-assisted software development tools as part of an engineering workflow.

Candidates should be able to explain how they use AI to support activities such as:

Code generation and completion;

Refactoring;

Unit and integration test creation;

Debugging and root-cause analysis;

Code review;

Technical documentation;

CI/CD troubleshooting;

Productivity and code-quality improvements.

Experience developing machine learning models is not required unless it forms part of the candidate’s broader background.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a capable Java backend developer who already uses AI as a practical engineering tool rather than treating it as an occasional experiment.

You are likely to succeed in this role if you:

Have solid Java backend development experience;

Understand APIs, microservices, automated testing, and production reliability;

Use AI tools regularly while maintaining critical judgment over their outputs;

Validate AI-generated code for security, maintainability, correctness, and performance;

Are curious and willing to test new tools and development approaches;

Can balance delivery speed with software quality;

Understand the business purpose behind technical requirements;

Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders;

Work effectively with backend, QA, product, and platform teams;

Are comfortable managing multiple priorities;

Can work from Leça da Palmeira two to three days per week.

Candidate Screening Questions

Please include answers to the following questions with your application:

How many years of professional backend development experience do you have?

How many years of hands-on Java experience do you have?

Which Java versions and frameworks have you used professionally?

Do you have practical experience with Quarkus? If so, in which projects and for how long?

Which AI-assisted development tools have you used professionally?

How do you currently use tools such as GitHub Copilot, GitLab Duo, Claude Code, Cursor, or similar solutions in your daily workflow?

Can you provide an example of how an AI tool helped you accelerate coding, testing, debugging, or code review?

How do you validate the quality, security, and accuracy of AI-generated code?

Have you designed and developed Java APIs or microservices for production environments? Please briefly describe the context.

What is your experience with automated unit and integration testing?

Which Java testing frameworks have you used?

Have you investigated or resolved CI/CD pipeline issues? Which tools did you use?

What is your level of English?

Are you fluent in Portuguese?

Are you currently based near Leça da Palmeira, or can you commute to the office?

Are you available to work in a hybrid model, attending the office two to three days per week?

CV Keywords

Java, Backend Development, Backend Developer, AI-Assisted Development, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, AI-First Engineering, GitHub Copilot, GitLab Duo, Claude Code, Cursor, Amazon Q Developer, Quarkus, APIs, REST APIs, API Development, Microservices, Java Microservices, Scalable Systems, Distributed Systems, Production Systems, Unit Testing, Integration Testing, Automated Testing, Test Automation, Code Coverage, Code Review, AI-Assisted Code Review, Refactoring, Debugging, Root-Cause Analysis, CI/CD, CI/CD Pipelines, GitLab, Software Engineering, Clean Code, Code Quality, Backend Architecture, System Design, Functional Requirements, Business Requirements, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Responsible AI, AI Governance, Prompt Engineering, English B2, Fluent Portuguese, Agile, Scrum, QA Collaboration, Product Collaboration, Leça da Palmeira, Hybrid Work

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