Job Description:

Merkle powers the experience economy. For more than 35 years, the company has put people at the heart of its digital business transformation approach. As the world's only integrated experience consultancy with a heritage in data science and business performance, Merkle delivers holistic, end-to-end experiences that drive growth, engagement, and loyalty. With more than 16,000 employees, Merkle operates in 30+ countries throughout the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.

In Bulgaria, we manage a global client portfolio, providing a single source of expertise, technology, and operational support. We have a proven track record for delivering, managing, and innovating multi-channel commerce platforms for major international brands and retailers, including adidas, Clarins, ASDA, Shiseido, and more. Our world-class team has delivered sites for over 35 brands, including more than 400 transactional ee-commerce sites across 60 locations on 6 continents. Our scope is expanding with tew data engineering practices, paid search and social advertising, and SEO. We look forward to what's next.

We're hiring a Senior Cloud Software Engineer at Merkle in Sofia.

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer specialising in JavaScript/TypeScript and modern AWS Cloud Architecture. In this role, you will design, build, and maintain scalable, high-performance backend services and distributed systems. You look at the bigger picture: you don't just write clean code; you understand how every element of a cloud ecosystem interacts—from API gateways to database instances and CI/CD pipelines. Operating in an Agile/Scrum environment, you will play a pivotal role in defining architectural patterns, driving DevOps workflows, and leveraging generative AI tools to accelerate development velocity and automate routine engineering tasks.

Key Responsibilities

• Backend & Architecture Design: Architect and implement robust, event-driven backend services and APIs using TypeScript and Node.js.

• Cloud Infrastructure: Design and maintain scalable AWS infrastructure, ensuring optimal interaction between components (Lambda, ECS, DynamoDB, RDS, SQS, SNS, API Gateway).

• CI/CD Automation: Own and optimise modern deployment pipelines using Jenkins and GitHub Actions to enforce high test coverage and seamless deployments.

• Agile Execution (Scrum): Actively participate in and contribute to Scrum ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Backlog Refinement, Retrospectives). Help break down complex technical initiatives into well-defined, estimable user stories.

• AI-Driven Development: Champion the integration of generative AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Amazon Q, or internal AI assistants) into the team's daily workflow to accelerate coding, boilerplate generation, code documentation, and initial unit testing.

Required Technical Skills & Methodologies

• Languages: Expert proficiency in TypeScript and modern JavaScript (Node.js ecosystem).

• AWS Cloud Ecosystem: Deep, hands-on experience with core AWS services (Lambda, ECS/Fargate, DynamoDB, Aurora/RDS, API Gateway, SQS, SNS, EventBridge).

• DevOps & IaC: Extensive experience with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and Infrastructure as Code (AWS CDK, Terraform, or CloudFormation).

• Agile Frameworks: Solid experience working within standard Scrum/Agile delivery models. Proficient with project management tools like Jira or GitHub Projects to manage sprints and track velocity.

• AI Tooling & Engineering: Practical experience using AI-powered development tools for code generation, optimisation, and debugging. Familiarity with prompt engineering concepts for developers is highly valued.

Soft Skills & Qualifications

• Experience: 7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a significant focus on cloud-native backend systems and Agile delivery.

• System-Level Thinking: Exceptional ability to conceptualise complex distributed systems and articulate how various elements interact under heavy load.

• Forward-Thinking Mindset: An innovative mindset that proactively explores how AI can streamline internal workflows and cut down on engineering friction.

• Collaboration & Communication: Strong collaborative skills within a cross-functional Scrum team, with the ability to clearly articulate architectural decisions to both technical peers and product owners.

What do we offer:

• We strongly advocate work-life balance, so we provide all staff with 25 days of paid leave and 3 fixed well-being days off annually.

• A hybrid work model for our teams, so they can work from the office or the comfort of their home.

• Free parking spaces for all our employees working from the office.

• Complimentary drinks and snacks in the office to keep all energy levels up.

• Parent-friendly culture and potential for additional days off to create new memories with your loved ones.

• Life Insurance, Health and dental insurance plans or, if selected, gift vouchers instead.

• Sports card, partially covered by the company and food vouchers.

• 2 days off for volunteering and numerous charity initiatives throughout the year.

• Opportunity to attend training, conferences and get certification sponsored by the company upon availability and business need.

About dentsu:

Taking a people-centred approach to business transformation, we use insights to connect brand, content, commerce and experience, underpinned by modern creativity. As part of Dentsu Group Inc., we are headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and our 65,000-employee base of dedicated professionals works across four regions (Japan, Americas, EMEA and APAC). Dentsu combines Japanese innovation with a diverse, global perspective to drive client growth and to shape society.

Location: Belgrade

Brand: Merkle

Time Type: Full time

Contract Type: Permanent