Backend Developer

We're looking for a backend engineer who builds reliable, well-structured systems, and cares deeply about getting the details right. This role suits someone who cares about shipping software, enjoys designing data models, building solid APIs, reasoning about how software behaves under real load, and is comfortable working with sensitive data in a regulated environment.

You'll work directly alongside the founding team and our customers. In practice that means the problems you solve are concrete: an investigator's workflow that needs a new endpoint, a query that needs to be fast, a data flow that needs to be correct and auditable.

About Avendar

At Avendar, we are building Europe’s system for critical investigations, helping governments fight crime and fraud. Our mission is to make Europe safer. We are building a platform that increases the efficiency and quality of investigations conducted by detectives, criminal investigators, financial crime specialists and researchers working within government agencies.

Avendar was founded in early 2025 by three experienced serial founders with over 20 years of experience in fintech, legal, and construction. We have hands-on experience deploying high-risk AI systems in highly regulated environments. Our customers include the Dutch National Police, the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, and the Municipality of Amsterdam.

What you'll do

• Design and build the backend of a web application for investigators in public safety and intelligence: data models, APIs, and the logic behind them, across both our Python services and the server-side of Next.js.

• Work directly with government customers to understand their problems and translate them into working software.

• Build software that handles sensitive government data; accuracy and security matter here.

• Manage and improve our bare metal infrastructure in the Netherlands; we don't run on cloud.

• Make technical decisions that shape the platform for years to come.

What we value

• Simplicity. We are a small team, so clear and straightforward solutions matter most. If you naturally push back on unnecessary complexity and enjoy simplifying things, you will fit right in.

• Bias for action. We believe in getting things done. When bugs, rough edges, or small improvements appear, we prefer to act and fix them immediately instead of getting stuck in long planning cycles.

• Positive outlook and energy. We genuinely enjoy the work we do at Avendar, and have big ambitions.

• Pragmatic precision. We focus our attention on the areas that are critical to user trust, such as data accuracy and analytical results. In those areas, we work with care and discipline.

• A few years of professional backend engineering experience, building and shipping production software.

• Strong backend skills. You can design data models, reason about query performance, and build reliable APIs. Our backend runs on Python and Next.js (server-side / API routes) over PostgreSQL.

• Security-aware by default: you think about authentication, authorization, and secure data handling as part of building features, not as an afterthought.

• Experience with, or a strong working knowledge of, deploying and managing production software (Linux, CI/CD, containerization).

• You are fluent in Dutch and English.

Nice to have

• Comfortable on the client side of Next.js / React too. Enough to ship a feature end-to-end when it helps.

• Experience with information security practices, compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, SOC 2), or working in regulated environments.

• Experience with building AI/ML systems or data pipelines.

• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code, observability, or network security.

• Previous startup experience, or experience in intelligence, public safety, or government.

Practicalities

• Compensation based on experience (€4.5k to €6.5k gross monthly salary), full-time position (40 hours).

• 25 vacation days.

• MacBook Pro and the gear you need to do your best work.

• Hybrid-remote working environment; our office is at JADS on the Mariënburg in 's-Hertogenbosch, overlooking the Dommel.

• The hiring process consists of an introductory call, followed by an on-site interview where we work together, after which you’ve met the team and we can make an offer.

• Please upload an up-to-date CV with your application.

Want to know more about this vacancy? Contact Marloes Kapteijns at +31622724734