# Backend Engineer (API)

> Whip Around · Auckland, New Zealand (Hybrid) · Full-time · Posted 2026-06-25

**Workplace:** hybrid

**Department:** Engineering

## Description

Some engineers love frontend. Some love infrastructure. Some are happiest designing clean APIs, building reliable backend services, and making complex systems feel simple.

If that's you, keep reading.

At Whip Around we're investing heavily in product and engineering following a recent majority investment from [Accel-KKR (AKKR)](https://www.accel-kkr.com/whip-around-announces-majority-investment-from-accel-kkr-to-accelerate-growth-and-innovation/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). We're looking for a **Backend Engineer** who enjoys building and evolving the **APIs** that **power our platform.**

**What you'll be doing**  
You'll spend most of your time:  

-   Designing and building RESTful APIs
-   Modelling data and designing database structures
-   Creating integrations and backend services
-   Improving performance, reliability and scalability
-   Working closely with mobile engineers on API contracts
-   Building secure, well-tested systems that customers rely on every day

This isn't a role where you'll spend your week tweaking CSS or debating button colours.  
It's backend engineering in its purest form.

## Requirements

**What we're looking for**

-   Commercial experience building APIs
-   Strong understanding of REST principles
-   Experience with PHP and Laravel (or the ability to ramp up quickly)
-   Solid SQL and database design skills
-   Experience working with authentication, authorization and security concepts
-   A testing mindset and pride in writing maintainable code
-   Familiarity with modern AI-assisted development tools  
      
    Bonus points for:  
    
-   AWS experience
-   Postgres experience
-   SaaS product experience
-   Personal projects or open-source contributions

## Benefits

**Why Whip Around?**  
We're a Kiwi SaaS success story with customers across North America and beyond.  
You'll join an engineering team that values pragmatism, collaboration and continuous improvement, while working on software that solves genuine operational problems for thousands of users.  
Plus:  

-   Hybrid flexibility
-   Southern Cross health insurance
-   Birthday leave
-   Additional paid parental leave
-   Monthly team lunches
-   Free parking

  
  
Sound familiar?  
If you've ever found yourself debating API design decisions for fun, optimising database queries that nobody asked you to optimise, or taking pride in creating endpoints that other developers genuinely enjoy consuming, we'd love to hear from you.

## Apply

[Apply at Whip Around](https://apply.workable.com/whiparound/j/5C6AD196F6/apply)

---
Powered by [Workable](https://www.workable.com)