full stack/backend engineer

At HEMA, we are building an efficient and future-proof retail technology landscape. To achieve this, we are establishing a new Engineering Organization. This is your chance to help lay the technological foundation for the most iconic, nearly 100-year-old department store in the Netherlands. Do you want to make a direct impact on HEMA’s digital progress? Then this role is for you!

the challenge

As a full stack/backend engineer in our backend chapter, you'll work in multidisciplinary product teams alongside frontend specialists, designers, product owners, and business stakeholders across different domains. You'll contribute to our scalable commerce backend infrastructure, with a significant focus on backend development as we build our future-proof platform.

As we build our internal engineering organization, you'll play a key role in both shaping our technical direction and helping establish our engineering culture and practices. You'll work on challenging projects spanning the full stack—from architecting user-facing features to designing event-based MACH architecture, implementing Made-2-Order services, and building scalable backend APIs.

As a full stack/backend engineer, you will participate actively in system design and take responsibility for code quality, testing, and maintainability.

Our tech stack centers on full stack TypeScript development in our AWS-native architecture: you'll build customer-facing applications using React and serverless technologies, while architecting scalable backend services with Lambda, API Gateway, and event-driven systems. We use Apache Kafka for event-driven architecture and KONG for API management.

We provide AI development tools (like Kiro) to all our developers and actively support teams in using AI effectively. We're building AI-powered features including documentation assistants, and we encourage developers to leverage AI throughout the development lifecycle.

Experience with service-oriented, API-first, and headless systems is highly preferred. Innovation is our lifeblood; we are always searching for the most efficient solution to support our business teams in serving our customers.

what we offer

At HEMA, you’ll experience an environment where people truly work together. You’ll receive proper guidance, useful feedback, and gain valuable experience. Whether you are looking for extending your knowledge and skills or for helping others to grow you are welcome here. In addition, at HEMA you’ll get:

• 💸 A competitive salary based on your knowledge and experience.
• 🌴 30 vacation days (based on a 40-hour week) and 8% holiday allowance, so you can recharge in time.
• 🎯 A variable bonus of up to 14% of your annual salary – depending on our collective results.
• 💸 A monthly net expense allowance.
• 🎄 A fixed year-end bonus of 4% of your annual salary.
• 🛍️ 15% staff discount on all your HEMA favorites – from tompouce pastries to towels and notebooks.
• 🧓 A solid pension plan, so you're well taken care of later too.
• 🚗 Travel allowance of €0.21 per kilometer (starting from 10 km one-way, up to a max of 30 km).
• 🎡 Access to the ‘benefits at work’ platform, with discounts on top brands, day trips, and other extras that make life more fun.

you'll bring

• Experience with backend systems in AWS serverless architectures or comparable cloud platforms and frontend development (React or comparable frameworks).
• Experience in building and developing software in multidisciplinary teams; you see software development as a collaborative endeavor.
• Pro-activity, collaborative decision-making and accountability are important team values; you have examples on how you apply these values.
• You are able to speak up, ask and give feedback—not only on code but also on behavior.
• You are fluent in TypeScript (our primary programming language) and have solid experience in a second language like Python or Java, along with AWS knowledge and enthusiasm for learning new technologies.
• You work result- and quality-oriented, always with the customer at the center, with innovation and curiosity towards new solutions, and a good understanding of security threats (e.g. OWASP Top10) and coding practices.

HEMA

At HEMA, over 17,000 colleagues work together to create a better everyday life in a more beautiful world.

We do this together, as one team, with proud colleagues, entrepreneurs, and partners. By playing to win. That means being curious, seizing opportunities, working together with joy, and always aiming for the best result.

You speak up, challenge others, and help each other grow. With your unique contribution, you can help build the HEMA of tomorrow.