Backend Engineer (m/f/d)

About Us

Founded in 2011, the HolidayPirates Group has been making waves in the travel world ever since!

To achieve our mission of delivering the best travel deals, we want to attract talented people from all over the world.

That’s why our pirates can work all across Europe - Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, the UK, or Poland and the US. Whether it’s fully remote or enjoying regular workations and flexible hours, we make your job fit your life (not the other way around!)

MISSION ON BOARD

Are you an engineer excited about Clojure and functional programming—someone who wants to understand not just how to write code, but why it's built the way it is?

Do you love digging into problems and growing a stronger skill set along the way?

As a Backend Engineer, you'll be a key part of our backend team, designing, building, and maintaining core applications on our platform.

We operate at the intersection of agility and stability—moving fast while staying pragmatic. You'll collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to build scalable, high-quality solutions using Clojure and other modern technologies—with real room to bring your own ideas, not just execute someone else's.

From day one, you’ll be part of the decision-making process, enjoying real ownership and accountability.

For this role you can be based in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, the UK or Poland.

DUTIES ON DECK

• Design, and implement backend services in Clojure with the team.
• Build scalable APIs and services to support high-throughput, low-latency applications.
• Contribute to improving system performance and reliability, (with guidance from senior team members).
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to deliver well-designed solutions.
• Maintain and improve existing codebase with a focus on quality and long-term maintainability.
• Participate in technical discussions and help shape best practices
• Communicate proactively with your manager and team on progress, blockers, and trade-offs

YOUR TREASURE OF EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 2-3 years of working experience as a Backend Engineer
• Experience in Clojure or interest in learning it
• Using AI for solving problems and using agentic coding is a must
• Understanding of functional programming principles and best practices
• Some experience with relational databases and key-value stores
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative environment

THE PIRATE SHIP OFFERS YOU

• Flexible working hours and a remote first company (with the freedom to work abroad for up to 181 days)
• A MacBook (also for private use) as well as any other needed equipment including a very lovely remote IT support
• 50€ for home office allowance per month
• 50€ tax free cash card per month
• Urban Sport Club Membership
• Mental health impulse sessions and relaxation sessions
• 2 volunteering days for an organization
• Further training budget at your free disposition
• Private Travel Insurance
• Opportunity to join the pirates pension scheme
• Save money with corporate discounts across brands like Adidas, LG, Bosch, Apple, and more
• Benefit from a number of advantages through the Travel Industry Card
• Visit our lovely office in Berlin Mitte as often as you want
• Business summits and legendary team events
• A unique and open company culture, where sharing ideas is our lifeblood
• The opportunity to leave your footprint aboard the pirate ship