Software Engineer II, Backend - (Logistics, Order Tracking UI SDK)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Software Engineer II, Backend - (Logistics, Order Tracking UI SDK)

Company: Delivery Hero (Glovo)

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Software Engineering / Backend Development

Date Posted: June 04, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Design, build, and maintain the backend service layer that serves as the primary entry point for Delivery Hero's native iOS and Android Tracking SDKs, crucial for real-time order status updates.

• Develop and version robust, efficient RESTful API contracts in close collaboration with mobile engineering teams, optimizing for minimal payload size and latency.

• Ensure the scalability and reliability of systems processing billions of events daily, with a strong emphasis on high throughput and low-latency response times for critical logistics data.

• Facilitate seamless data flow from UI components through backend services into the global data lake, working closely with core Tracking teams to maintain data integrity and accessibility.

• Drive operational excellence through comprehensive monitoring, alerting, and performance profiling of backend services using industry-standard tools like Grafana, Sentry, and Prometheus.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within the Logistics and Order Tracking domain, specifically focusing on the backend infrastructure that supports mobile SDKs. The emphasis on "service orchestration," "API contract design for mobile," and "system scalability" indicates a need for engineers who can bridge the gap between mobile client requirements and robust backend services, ensuring a high-performance user experience for order tracking.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Architect and implement the backend service layer responsible for orchestrating data delivery to native iOS and Android tracking SDKs.

• Define, develop, and version RESTful API contracts, ensuring they are optimized for mobile environments, considering factors like network variability and battery consumption.

• Build and maintain highly scalable and resilient backend systems capable of handling massive event volumes with minimal latency.

• Collaborate with mobile developers to gather requirements, provide technical guidance, and ensure effective integration of the tracking SDKs.

• Work with core tracking teams to ensure accurate and efficient data ingestion into the global data lake and internal data sources.

• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code, adhering to high software engineering standards and best practices.

• Actively participate in the Request for Comments (RFC) process to influence and shape the technical direction of the central tracking platform.

• Implement and manage comprehensive monitoring, alerting, and performance profiling for all services using tools like Grafana, Sentry, and Prometheus.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the development and deployment pipelines (CI/CD).

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of core backend development, API design tailored for mobile clients, and a strong focus on operational excellence and system resilience. The mention of "billions of events" and "high throughput, low-latency" points to the critical nature of this role in a high-volume logistics environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 2-3 years of professional experience in backend development.

Required Skills:

• Backend Development Languages: Proficient in Java or Kotlin, with a strong understanding of their ecosystems and best practices.

• API Design & Development: Proven experience in designing, building, and versioning RESTful APIs, with a deep understanding of mobile networking challenges (e.g., flaky connections, battery impact, payload optimization).

• Distributed Systems: Solid foundation in distributed systems principles, data structures, and algorithms.

• Cloud Platforms: Hands-on experience with cloud computing platforms such as AWS or GCP.

• Containerization & Orchestration: Experience with Docker and Kubernetes for building, deploying, and managing containerized applications.

• CI/CD Pipelines: Familiarity with Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) principles and tools for automated software delivery.

• Testing Methodologies: Strong passion for quality, with experience in Unit Testing, Integration Testing, and End-to-End (E2E) Testing.

• Communication: Full professional English proficiency, with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Collaboration: A demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment, particularly with mobile engineers.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with specific tracking SDKs or mobile-first API design patterns.

• Familiarity with logistics or real-time tracking systems.

• Experience with Grafana, Sentry, or Prometheus for monitoring and alerting.

• Understanding of data lake architectures and data pipelines.

• Experience participating in RFC processes or technical design reviews.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 2-3 years of experience combined with specific technology stacks (Java/Kotlin, AWS/GCP, Docker/Kubernetes) positions this as a mid-level backend engineering role. The emphasis on "API design for mobile clients" and "collaborative mindset with mobile engineers" is a key differentiator, suggesting that candidates with experience bridging backend and mobile needs will be highly valued.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• API Design Examples: Showcase well-documented REST API designs, ideally with examples of mobile-specific optimizations or versioning strategies.

• System Architecture Diagrams: Include diagrams illustrating the design of scalable backend systems, data flow, and fault tolerance mechanisms.

• Code Samples: Provide links to or samples of clean, maintainable, and well-tested backend code (e.g., from GitHub) in Java or Kotlin.

• Cloud Infrastructure: Demonstrate experience with cloud resource management (AWS/GCP), including IaC (Infrastructure as Code) if applicable.

• CI/CD Pipeline Configurations: Examples of CI/CD pipeline setups for automated testing and deployment.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design: Illustrate how you approach designing workflows for data ingestion and processing in a high-throughput environment.

• API Contract Evolution: Document a process for how you would manage and evolve API contracts over time, considering backward compatibility and mobile client constraints.

• Monitoring & Alerting Strategy: Outline a strategy for implementing effective monitoring and alerting for backend services, including key metrics and alert thresholds.

• Testing Strategy: Detail your approach to ensuring code quality through comprehensive unit, integration, and E2E testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a backend role focused on SDK integration and high-volume data, a portfolio should strongly emphasize practical application of API design principles for mobile, system scalability, and operational readiness. Demonstrating a structured approach to testing, monitoring, and collaboration with mobile teams will be crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Based on industry benchmarks for a mid-level Backend Software Engineer in Barcelona, Spain, with 2-5 years of experience, the estimated annual salary range is €45,000 - €65,000. This range accounts for the specific technical skills required, the company's presence in a major tech hub, and the nature of the role within a global delivery platform.

Benefits:

• Monthly Glovo credits to satisfy your cravings!

• Discounted gym memberships to keep you energized.

• Extra time off, with the freedom to work from home two days a week.

• Opportunity to work from anywhere for up to three weeks a year.

• Enhanced parental leave, and an office-based nursery.

• Online therapy and wellbeing benefits to ensure your mental well-being.

• A vibrant and diverse work environment committed to equal opportunities.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. The hybrid work model offers flexibility, allowing for two days of remote work per week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on aggregated data from various salary aggregators for Software Engineers in Barcelona, adjusting for the mid-level experience and the specific tech stack. Benefits are comprehensive, reflecting a modern tech company's approach to employee well-being and work-life balance, with particular emphasis on flexibility.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Local Delivery Platform / E-commerce / Logistics Technology. Delivery Hero (Glovo) operates in a fast-paced, competitive global market, leveraging technology to provide on-demand delivery services across food, groceries, and other goods. This industry demands agility, innovation, and a strong focus on user experience and operational efficiency.

Company Size: Delivery Hero is a large, publicly traded company with tens of thousands of employees globally, making Glovo a significant entity within it. This scale implies access to extensive resources, established processes, and opportunities for impact across a broad user base, while also requiring individuals to navigate larger organizational structures.

Founded: Glovo was founded in 2015, and Delivery Hero acquired a significant stake in 2020, with Glovo becoming part of the Delivery Hero Group in 2022. This history suggests a company with a strong startup ethos that has matured and integrated into a global powerhouse, blending innovation with corporate structure.

Team Structure: The role is within the backend engineering team, likely part of a larger engineering division for Glovo's logistics and tracking platforms. This team will collaborate closely with mobile engineering teams (iOS/Android), product managers, and potentially data engineers or SREs. The structure is expected to be agile, with cross-functional pods or squads focused on specific product areas like order tracking.

Methodology: Delivery Hero and Glovo emphasize data-driven decision-making, agile development methodologies (Scrum/Kanban), and a "build it, run it" philosophy for services. The company encourages RFC processes for technical direction, highlighting a culture of technical debate and shared ownership.

Company Website: https://about.glovoapp.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Delivery Hero's scale and Glovo's integration into it is key. The emphasis on "pioneering local delivery platform" and operating in "around 70 countries" suggests a highly dynamic and globally oriented environment. The company culture likely balances the innovation of a startup with the structure of a large corporation.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is for a Software Engineer II, indicating a mid-level position. It requires a solid understanding of backend development principles and the ability to work independently on defined tasks, while also contributing to technical discussions and design. It's a stepping stone towards Senior Engineer roles.

Reporting Structure: The Software Engineer II will likely report to an Engineering Manager or Team Lead within the backend engineering team responsible for logistics and order tracking. They will collaborate closely with mobile engineers, product owners, and potentially designers.

Operations Impact: Engineers in this role have a direct impact on the core user experience of order tracking. By ensuring the reliability, speed, and accuracy of the tracking data served by their backend services, they significantly influence customer satisfaction, operational efficiency for delivery partners, and ultimately, the success of the Delivery Hero platform.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in distributed systems, API design for mobile, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), and specific backend languages (Java/Kotlin).

• Leadership Development: Progress to a Senior Software Engineer role, taking on more complex projects, mentoring junior engineers, and leading technical initiatives.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain experience working with different engineering disciplines (mobile, data, SRE) and product management.

• Architectural Influence: Contribute to architectural decisions and the technical roadmap through RFCs and design discussions.

• Domain Expertise: Develop specialized knowledge in logistics, real-time tracking systems, and high-throughput event processing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "II" in Software Engineer II signifies a level beyond entry-level, expecting a candidate to be productive with minimal supervision on standard tasks and to start contributing to design discussions. Growth paths are clearly defined towards senior technical roles and potential leadership.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Barcelona, Spain, and is described as Hybrid. This means a combination of in-office and remote work, likely with a structured number of days required in the office per week.

Office Location(s): Barcelona, Spain. Specific office details are not provided but are expected to be modern, collaborative spaces typical of tech companies in major European cities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model encourages in-person collaboration on specific days, fostering team cohesion and knowledge sharing. The emphasis on partnering with mobile engineers suggests a culture that values cross-functional interaction.

• Tools & Technology: Access to modern development tools, cloud infrastructure, and robust CI/CD pipelines is expected. The company provides tools for monitoring and operational excellence.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for regular team syncs, sprint planning, and informal discussions, both in person and remotely, to align on project goals and technical challenges.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time (approx. 40 hours/week) with hybrid flexibility. This allows for a balance between focused remote work and in-office collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role (2 days remote) is a key aspect of the work environment, offering a blend of flexibility and in-person collaboration. This is a common setup in tech roles in major European cities like Barcelona.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A brief call with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest in the role.

• Technical Interview(s): Likely includes coding challenges (e.g., algorithm problems, system design scenarios) and discussions about past projects and technical experience. Expect questions focused on Java/Kotlin, API design, and distributed systems.

• System Design Interview: A dedicated session to evaluate your ability to design scalable and resilient backend systems, considering trade-offs and trade-offs.

• Behavioral Interview: Focuses on collaboration, problem-solving, and how you handle specific work situations, aligning with company values.

• Hiring Manager/Team Lead Interview: Final discussion to assess team fit, career aspirations, and deeper technical alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Mobile API Design: Specifically showcase any projects where you designed or optimized APIs for mobile clients, detailing the challenges and solutions.

• Demonstrate Scalability: Use case studies to explain how you've built or contributed to systems that handle high volumes of data or traffic, emphasizing metrics and results.

• Showcase Operational Readiness: Present examples of your work with monitoring, alerting, and CI/CD pipelines, explaining your approach to ensuring service reliability.

• Code Quality & Testing: Provide clear examples of well-structured, tested code and explain your testing philosophy.

• Conciseness & Clarity: Ensure your portfolio is easy to navigate and clearly articulates your contributions and impact.

Challenge Preparation:

• System Design Practice: Prepare for system design questions by practicing designing common applications (e.g., URL shortener, social media feed, ride-sharing app) with a focus on scalability, latency, and fault tolerance.

• Coding Proficiency: Brush up on data structures, algorithms, and common coding patterns in Java or Kotlin.

• API Design Scenarios: Be ready to discuss API design decisions, trade-offs, and how you'd handle versioning and error handling.

• Behavioral Question Framework: Prepare STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) responses for common behavioral questions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is standard for mid-level engineering roles, with a strong emphasis on practical coding, system design, and collaborative skills. A portfolio that directly addresses the "Logistics, Order Tracking UI SDK" aspect, particularly the mobile API design and scalability, will be highly advantageous.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Backend Languages: Java, Kotlin.

• API Development: RESTful APIs, potentially GraphQL.

• Cloud Platforms: AWS (e.g., EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS) and/or GCP (e.g., Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, Cloud SQL).

• Containerization & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes.

• CI/CD: Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or similar.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Monitoring: Grafana, Prometheus.

• Error Tracking: Sentry.

• Logging: ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) or similar.

• Data Lake: Access and interaction with a global data lake for data analysis.

CRM & Automation: While not directly CRM-focused, the role involves interacting with systems that manage logistics and tracking data. Automation will be key for deployment and operational tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is robust and modern, typical of a large tech company operating at scale. Proficiency in Java/Kotlin, cloud platforms, containerization, and monitoring tools are essential.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Focus: Ensuring a seamless and reliable order tracking experience for end-users is paramount.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Utilizing data from tracking systems to identify bottlenecks, optimize performance, and inform development priorities.

• Operational Excellence: A commitment to building and maintaining highly available, scalable, and resilient services.

• Collaboration & Openness: Fostering an environment where engineers openly share ideas, provide constructive feedback, and work together to solve complex problems.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Encouraging the exploration of new technologies and methodologies to enhance the tracking platform.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: Close collaboration with mobile engineers is critical, requiring clear communication and understanding of each other's needs and constraints.

• Agile Methodologies: Working within agile frameworks, participating in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in RFCs, code reviews, and internal tech talks to share expertise and best practices.

• Feedback Culture: A willingness to give and receive constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement in code, processes, and team dynamics.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and a commitment to operational excellence, particularly important for a platform dealing with real-time logistics data. The "build it, run it" mentality suggests a high degree of ownership and responsibility.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Real-time Scalability: Handling billions of events daily while maintaining low latency and high availability presents a significant technical challenge.

• API Evolution for Mobile: Balancing the need for new features with the constraints of mobile SDKs and backward compatibility requires careful API design and versioning.

• Data Integrity Across Systems: Ensuring accurate and consistent data flow from diverse sources into the global data lake.

• Navigating a Large Organization: Adapting to the processes and structures of a large, global company while maintaining agility.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Distributed Systems: Deepen knowledge in designing and operating large-scale, distributed systems.

• Mobile-Backend Integration: Gain specialized expertise in the nuances of backend services supporting mobile applications.

• Cloud Architecture: Expand expertise in specific AWS or GCP services relevant to high-throughput, low-latency applications.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from senior engineers and potentially mentor junior team members as you progress.

• Industry Exposure: Work on problems at the forefront of logistics technology and on-demand delivery platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenges revolve around the scale and real-time nature of the logistics data. Growth opportunities are geared towards deepening technical expertise in critical areas and developing leadership skills within a large, dynamic organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• System Design: "Design a real-time order tracking system for a global delivery platform." Focus on components, data flow, scalability, fault tolerance, and how you'd handle mobile client interactions.

• API Design: "How would you design an API endpoint to update order status for a mobile SDK? Consider versioning, error handling, and payload efficiency."

• Scalability & Performance: "Describe a situation where you had to scale a backend service to handle increased load. What metrics did you monitor, and what techniques did you use?"

• Problem-Solving: "Imagine the order tracking service is experiencing high latency. How would you troubleshoot and resolve this issue?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in Delivery Hero and Glovo, specifically this role in logistics and order tracking?"

• "How do you approach collaboration with mobile engineers or other cross-functional teams?"

• "Describe a time you had to balance competing priorities or technical trade-offs."

• "What are your thoughts on testing and quality assurance in a fast-paced development environment?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your specific contribution, the technical solution, and the measurable impact (e.g., performance improvements, scalability achieved, user experience enhanced).

• Mobile API Emphasis: If you have relevant projects, dedicate time to explaining your API design choices and how they catered to mobile constraints.

• System Design Walkthrough: Be prepared to walk through your system design diagrams, explaining your architectural decisions and the trade-offs involved.

• Quantify Achievements: Use data and metrics whenever possible to demonstrate the success of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just coding ability but also a strong understanding of distributed systems, API design principles (especially for mobile), and a proactive approach to operational excellence. The ability to articulate technical decisions and their impact is crucial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Software Engineer II position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on jobs.smartrecruiters.com.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your experience with Java/Kotlin, API design for mobile, distributed systems, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP), and CI/CD. Quantify your achievements with specific metrics.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate examples of your backend projects, focusing on API design, system architecture, and any experience with real-time data processing or mobile integrations. Ensure code samples are accessible and well-documented.

• Practice Technical Questions: Rehearse coding challenges and system design scenarios, paying close attention to explaining your thought process and trade-offs.

• Research Delivery Hero/Glovo: Understand their mission, market position, and recent developments. Prepare to articulate why you are a good fit for their culture and the specific challenges of this role.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.