Python Developer: responsibilities, education, skills and career path

Builds services, automation and tooling in Python across web, data and scripting.

Entry

Intermediate

Coding

Very High

Key skills

PythonDjango / Flask / FastAPIGitREST API design

Common progression

Python Developer
Senior Software Engineer

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Career overview

The Python Developer writes backend services, automation, tooling and sometimes data or ML code in Python. The language is everywhere: web (Django, Flask, FastAPI), data (pandas, Airflow), automation, scripting, machine learning. This breadth makes Python one of the most versatile developer roles and a natural bridge toward data engineering or machine learning engineering.

Main responsibilities

Develop applications and services in Python
Write, test and review production code
Design and document REST APIs
Model and query relational databases
Write unit and integration tests
Refactor legacy code and reduce technical debt
Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines
Keep technical documentation up to date
Mentor junior team members and review their work
Automate recurring tasks with scripts

Technical skills

Python92%

Django / Flask / FastAPI85%

SQL / ORM78%

REST API design80%

Testing (pytest)75%

Pandas / NumPy70%

Docker68%

CI/CD65%

Git85%

Async / concurrency65%

Technologies

PythonDjangoFlaskFastAPIPostgreSQLRedisCelerypandasNumPyDockerKubernetesAWSGCPRESTGraphQLGitpytestLinuxAirflow

Education level

Education requirements vary depending on the company, country and experience. Professional experience, certifications and technical skills can sometimes compensate for formal education.

High School / Bac

Less common

Bac+2 (2-year degree)

Less common

Bac+3 (Bachelor)

Common entry point

Bac+5 (Master / Engineering)

Common entry point