Overview
Join us at the forefront of entertainment innovation! We at Malao are on a mission to transform the entertainment industry, creating inspiring stories with positive role models that spark change in our world. Across innovative technology platforms, original films and unique location-based experiences, at Malao you'll dive into a game-changing environment where we combine human intuition with artificial intelligence to bring the world more Meaningful Entertainment.
Imagine spending more time watching movies instead of endlessly scrolling, trying to find the right one: Twinkle is an entertainment discovery app that aims to become the go-to destination for users overwhelmed by content choices, being a cinematic compass that combines the best of artificial intelligence with human intuition to transform how people find and share films they'll love. With successful fundraising from investors and the European Institute of Technology Culture & Creativity, we're now working to build the B2C app and bring it to market later this year.
What you'll be working on
- Owning and scaling Twinkle's backend (AWS serverless / CDK), including maintaining the Python-based Movie Sync Service and AI enhancement pipeline
- Designing and evolving the GraphQL API (AWS AppSync) — building Lambda resolvers for complex business logic, optimising direct database resolvers, and ensuring the API is fast, reliable, and a pleasure to work with from the Flutter side
- Making the infrastructure genuinely scale-ready by thinking through connection pooling, caching strategy, cost controls, and performance under load before those problems become launch-day crises
- Integrating and maintaining external services, including content databases and LLMs
- Managing database schema evolution via Liquibase migrations across dev, staging, and production environments, with full environment isolation and rollback support
What we're looking for
- You have hands-on production experience with AWS — specifically Lambda, AppSync, Aurora (or another managed relational database), Cognito, EC2 and CDK — and you understand how these services behave under real load
- You are fluent in TypeScript and write backend code that is clean and well-tested
- You think seriously about scalability and cost from the start — you have an instinct for where serverless architectures break down under load and you know how to design around those failure modes before they are realised
- You operate in an AI-native way — you actively use AI-assisted development tools to move faster and think more clearly, and you stay genuinely curious about how AI capabilities can be integrated meaningfully into the products you build
- You have a flexible approach to challenges, coupled with the readiness to pivot as required in a dynamic startup environment
- You align with Malao's strong value set of truth, justice, courage, gratitude and joy, demonstrating integrity and a willingness to collaborate with others, and enthusiasm for personal and professional growth in an environment encouraging open communication and candour
What we offer
- Work directly with the founders and founding team of a fast-paced startup crossing entertainment and technology
- Wellpass subscription, giving you access to the top gyms, fitness clubs and spas
- Monthly team events, such as free dinners, game nights, internal hackathons and active offsites
- A paid cinema ticket every month (your choice of movie!)
- Support with relocation to Munich, including access to the WERK1 apartment program (flat for only €850 per month on short-term contract)
- A competitive salary package, including employee participation program