Sr. Back-end engineer - Conversational AI

(Senior) Back-end Engineer – Conversational AI

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

About Cognizant Digital Engineering

Cognizant is a global technology and professional services company that helps organizations modernize technology, reimagine processes, and transform customer experiences at scale. Within our Digital Engineering practice, we combine deep engineering expertise with cutting-edge technologies such as cloud, data, and AI to build innovative, scalable digital solutions.

Our teams operate in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where innovation and continuous learning are at the core. You will have the opportunity to work on advanced AI-driven solutions for leading financial services clients, shaping the next generation of intelligent, secure, and customer-centric digital platforms.

About the Role

You will work in multidisciplinary teams alongside proposition managers, journey experts, UX/UI designers, data analysts, developers, architects, business analysts, and product owners. We value pace, ownership, and impact. Together, we are building the future of our organization with strong propositions, smart products, and digital experiences that truly make a difference for young people.

Your Role

As a (Senior) Back-end Engineer – Conversational AI, you will build the backbone of our Conversational AI interface. You design and develop scalable backend services and orchestration logic that enable AI agents to interpret user intent, manage context and memory, and securely coordinate actions across systems.

Banking is rapidly evolving toward conversational AI as the primary interface between customers and our organization. Within the Growth Accelerator 0–30, we develop conversational AI capabilities and financial-specific agents (such as budgeting, onboarding, and financial insights) that integrate into a central AI agent.

In this role, you operate at the intersection of backend engineering, AI capabilities, and conversational design. You go beyond building APIs—you actively shape how conversations are powered and how intelligent agents collaborate to deliver meaningful outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Design and build scalable backend services supporting conversational AI experiences for Gen Z customers

Integrate LLMs and AI agents with internal systems using robust APIs and integration patterns

Enable reliable context management, conversation state handling, and secure data flows

Implement and integrate agent orchestration patterns (A2A-style, MCP-inspired workflows)

Build and integrate observability and monitoring solutions for AI-driven systems

Collaborate closely with front-end, integration, and platform engineers

Work alongside business analysts, designers, and data scientists to deliver end-to-end solutions

Ensure systems meet high standards for performance, reliability, security, and compliance

Your Profile

You are a senior backend engineer with a strong technical foundation and a passion for building innovative, AI-driven solutions. You take ownership, think in outcomes, and are motivated to create impactful digital experiences for customers.

Required Skills & Experience

Senior-level experience in backend software engineering

Strong programming skills in Python and Java

Proven experience designing and building REST APIs and integration solutions

Hands-on experience integrating AI/LLM-based components into backend systems

Experience with distributed systems and event-driven architectures

Familiarity with orchestration patterns (A2A, workflows)

Experience with AI-agent architectures, including tool invocation, context persistence, conversation state, and guardrails

Knowledge of security, privacy, and compliance considerations in AI-driven environments

Experience with observability and reliability engineering

Strong ownership mindset with a customer- and outcome-focused approach

What We Offer (Netherlands)

Competitive salary

Access to Udemy and Cognizant Academy

NS business card

25 paid holidays

Laptop and smartphone

Pension scheme

Technology-driven organization

Open team spirit

International environment

Contact the Recruiter

Bill Hilhorst

Email: Bill.Hilhorst@cognizant.com