At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead backend development, solve complex problems, and enhance system reliability.
- Company: Join Affirm, a remote-first tech company focused on innovative payment solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy 100% health coverage, flexible time off, and monthly stipends for tech and wellness.
- Other info: Collaborative team culture with opportunities for mentorship and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on global growth while working with cutting-edge technologies.
- Qualifications: 4+ years in backend systems, proficient in Python or Kotlin, and strong communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 120000 - 168000 £ per year.
At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.
Affirm’s Identity team is mission-critical to the customer checkout experience.
When a customer chooses Affirm, one of the first steps is an identity check, and our ability to make the right decision directly impacts conversion, revenue, fraud exposure, and regulatory compliance.
Our team owns Identity for all markets outside North America, playing a key role in Affirm’s international expansion.
We are responsible for KYC, user lifecycle management, and identity decisioning across multiple regulatory environments.
This work is about shaping how Affirm adapts its core Identity platform to new market dynamics, customer expectations, and compliance requirements.
We are a team of six engineers based across Spain and Poland.
We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer who can turn ambiguous business and customer problems into reliable, well-designed technical solutions.
In this role, you will help shape our quarterly technical direction, translate team goals into concrete projects, and identify cross-cutting risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities.
You should be comfortable designing across system boundaries, driving collaboration with partner teams, and advocating for technical investments that improve long-term execution.
We’re looking for someone who takes ownership beyond shipping code: raising code quality and review standards, making performance, availability, and scale tradeoffs explicit, and improving the operational health of the systems they own.
You’ll help reduce toil, create useful playbooks, mentor engineers, support new hires and interns, and contribute to high-signal hiring.
Most importantly, we’re excited to work with someone who leaves things better than they found them, communicates clearly across audiences, uses customer feedback to influence technical plans, and helps the team continuously improve.
This is a deeply technical, hands-on coding role where feature velocity and operational excellence go hand-in-hand.
You’ll spend most of your week in the codebase - leveraging AI tools to write robust Kotlin and Python, ship impactful features, investigate complex production issues, and keep our systems rock-solid and reliable.
This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for someone who wants to work on foundational systems that directly enable Affirm’s global growth.
What You'll Do
- You will be responsible for owning and delivering quarterly goals for your team, leading engineers on your team through ambiguity to solve open-ended problems, and ensuring that everyone is supported throughout delivery.
- You will support your peers and stakeholders in the product development lifecycle by collaborating with product management, design & analytics by participating in ideation, articulating technical constraints, and partnering on decisions that properly consider risks and trade-offs.
- You will proactively identify project, process, technology or business issues, advocate for them, and lead in solving them.
- You will support the operations and availability of your team’s artifacts by creating and monitoring metrics, escalating when needed, and supporting “keep the lights on” & on-call efforts.
- You will foster a culture of quality and ownership on your team by setting or improving code review and design standards for your team, and advocating for them beyond your team through your writing and tech talks.
- You will help develop talent on your team by providing feedback and guidance, and leading by example.
- What We Look For
- You have 4+ years of experience designing, developing and launching backend systems at scale using languages like Python or Kotlin.
- You have a track record of developing highly available distributed systems using technologies like AWS, My SQL and Kubernetes.
- You have experience defining a technical plan for the delivery of a significant feature or system component with an elegant, simple and extensible design.
You write high quality code that is easily understood and used by others.
- You are proficient at making significant changes in a large code base, and have developed a suite of tools and practices that enable you and your team to do so safely.
- Your experience demonstrates that you take ownership of your growth, proactively seeking feedback from your team, your manager, and your stakeholders.
- You have strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with our global engineering team.
- Pay Grade - N Equity Grade - 5
Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range.
Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents).
In addition, the employees may be eligible for equity rewards offered by Affirm Holdings, Inc. (parent company).
GBR base pay range per year
- Location - Remote UK
- #LI-Remote
Remote-first with flexibility built in Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company.
Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment.
Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work.
All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.
Benefits designed for you Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
- Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
- Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
- Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
- Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
We’re committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we’re happy to help.
For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.
By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice and consent to the use of your personal information as described.
Remote Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Identity International) in Anstruther employer: Affirm
Affirm is an exceptional employer that prioritises a remote-first work culture, allowing employees to thrive from anywhere in the UK. With a strong focus on employee well-being, Affirm offers comprehensive health coverage, generous stipends for technology and lifestyle needs, and competitive time-off policies, all while fostering an environment of growth and collaboration. Joining the International Expansion Unit as a Staff Software Engineer means being at the forefront of innovative solutions that shape the future of credit, with ample opportunities for professional development and influence within a mission-driven team.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Remote Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Identity International) in Anstruther
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Affirm or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Affirm.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Affirm.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Affirm that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Remote Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Identity International) in Anstruther
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Affirm.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Affirm and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Affirm
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Affirm uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.