Platform Backend Engineer

This is Timefold -We’re building the future of intelligent planning—join us on the journey.

Every day, millions of hours, kilometres and euros are lost to bad planning: technicians driving across the country twice, nurses with impossible shifts, deliveries planned in spreadsheets. At Timefold, we fix that.

We are on a relentless mission to  free the world from wasteful scheduling!  Founded in 2023, we represent the exciting next chapter of  OptaPlanner —the legendary, field-proven open-source project that laid the foundation for everything we build today.

Our open-source Solver and the Timefold Platform turn messy real-world constraints into optimal plans. Software teams use them to build scheduling and routing into their own products. Today our technology powers companies such as Lufthansa Technik, Deutsche Bahn, Thales and NEC. In June 2026 we raised a $13M Series A, and now we’re scaling the platform that brings all of this into production.

That’s where you come in.

We are a technically sharp, deeply passionate team of over 40 people. While our headquarters are nestled in the iconic Wintercircus  building in Ghent, Belgium, we operate as a remote-first team with vibrant hubs across Belgium, the Czech Republic, Brazil and the US.

About the role

As a  Platform Backend Engineer,  you’ll help build and evolve the platform that runs Timefold’s optimization technology in production for customers around the world. It’s a hands-on role at the core of our product. You’ll report to our Team Lead Platform Engineering, who will support you as you grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Build the core of the platform.  Design and develop the services that make up the Timefold Platform, together with your team lead and fellow engineers.
• Own features end to end.  Take features from the first design conversation all the way to production and beyond. You’ll get real ownership early, with mentorship to help it grow.
• Shape the architecture.  Bring your own ideas to architecture discussions rather than just implementing decisions made elsewhere, and help make sure the foundations can carry the product as it scales.
• Write code others can trust.  Produce clean, well-documented, performant code, and take part in thoughtful code reviews in both directions.
• Ship with confidence.  Build the unit, integration and performance tests that let us move fast without breaking things for customers.
• Keep it running.  Go beyond application code: improve monitoring, alerting, scalability and how quickly we understand and solve issues in production.
• Build for other builders.  The platform is used by solver engineers, frontend teams and, increasingly, customers directly. You’ll make sure the interfaces and integrations you build are easy to use, not just functionally correct.

What you'll bring

• Strong software engineering skills, preferably senior or medior level.
• Proficiency in Java, the core backend language.
• Experience with Kubernetes, Maven, REST API, and JUnit.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms like GCP, AWS, and/or Azure.
• Comfortable with containerization tools like Docker.
• Knowledge of API design, messaging, and storage solutions.
• Knowledge from Quarkus.
• Familiarity with webhook integration and gRPC
• Familiarity with RabbitMQ, MongoDB and/or Object Stores
• Knowledge of oAuth
• Exposure to Timefold (or OptaPlanner) and planning optimization. Asciidoc, HTML, JavaScript.
• Ability to work remotely or on-site in Belgium.

Nice to have:  experience with platform engineering, distributed systems or optimization and planning problems.

What You'll Learn

Joining Timefold provides a unique opportunity for continuous learning and growth.

As a Planning Optimization Engineer, you will:

• Gain expertise in developing and fine-tuning optimization models
• Work alongside experienced professionals in the field
• Be part of a fast growing startup project with a global user base
• Tackle complex, real-world planning challenges
• Stay at the forefront of AI-driven planning optimization

This job is for you if

• You have a passion for solving complex planning challenges
• Learning and professional growth are essential to your career
• You are eager to contribute to resource efficiency on a global scale
• You thrive in a collaborative startup culture
• You seek a diverse, flexible job with a global perspective

What do we offer

Culture & Environment

At Timefold, we offer more than just a paycheck; we offer a culture where you can thrive. We promise an  open and authentic  workplace where you will be  trusted to act, trusted to ask, and supported as you seek to grow . In return, we look for people who are ready to  own and deliver  impactful results.

Standard Perks

• A Full Time position in a fast growing start up environment
• A competitive salary package complemented by a range of local benefits

How we work & connect

• Flexibility : our focus is on your talents, not your location. Choose the working arrangement that suits you best, whether it is remote, hybrid or on-site
• Our dedication to creating an inclusive environment, where diversity is celebrated and everyone is treated with fairness and respect <3
• Regular team building activities and gatherings to enhance (international) team spirit and cooperation (this requires a willingness to travel once or twice a year)