At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a tech squad, design systems, and coach engineers while coding hands-on.
- Company: Join Backbase, a leader in AI-native banking software with a global impact.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, growth opportunities, and a vibrant team culture.
- Other info: Dynamic environment focused on innovation and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Shape the future of banking technology while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in software engineering with a passion for people leadership.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
The Role
This is a Senior+ Engineer who leads people, not a people manager who used to code. If you cannot open an IDE, spin up an agentic coding session in Cursor or Claude Code, debug a production issue or support a customer implementation alongside our last-mile Services teams, this is not the right role. You are the captain of a single squad: accountable for delivery predictability, engineering quality and the growth of every engineer in your team. We are looking for technologists who want to stay deep in the technology whilst taking on genuine people leadership and delivery accountability. You will spend roughly half your time on system design, architecture and technical decision-making, with around a fifth of your time in the codebase directly through code reviews, debugging and unblocking. The remaining time is invested in your people: coaching, calibration, hiring and building a team that delivers predictably and sustainably.
What you will do
- Technical Leadership (circa 70% of the role)
- System Design and Architecture: Lead and participate in design reviews, RFCs and architecture decisions alongside Staff Engineers. Ensure security and scalability are embedded from the start.
- Hands-on Contribution: Maintain your technical credibility through active code reviews, debugging production issues and unblocking your team. You write code, read code and understand the systems your squad owns.
- Quality and Engineering Excellence: Champion modern engineering practices including CI/CD pipelines, test automation, observability and quality gates. Drive production-readiness and robust release management.
- BS Detector: Use your technical depth to spot unrealistic estimates, fragile designs or risk blind spots before they become delivery problems.
- Emergency Response: During critical incidents, jump in technically or coordinate the response. You are comfortable leading under pressure.
- AI-Native Engineering: Lead adoption of agentic tooling, LLM workflows and AI automation within your squad to accelerate the development lifecycle. Experiment with code generation, test automation and AI-assisted productivity tools.
- People Leadership (circa 10% of the role)
- Talent Development: Own meaningful 1:1s, performance calibration, and evidence-based career development for your squad of 6 to 9 engineers. Create tailored growth plans and act as a genuine coach.
- Team Health: Build and sustain psychological safety, team resilience and a healthy engineering culture. Detect and resolve friction early. Maintain sustainable pace even under delivery pressure.
- Hiring and Succession: Manage hiring decisions and onboarding to build teams with the right technical competencies and seniority balance. Plan for succession and knowledge continuity.
- Conflict Resolution: Mediate interpersonal or cross-team conflicts early to protect team cohesion and delivery momentum.
- Delivery and Execution (circa 20% of the role)
- Delivery Mastery: Optimise the squad's idea-to-production cycle time. Strengthen delivery predictability through empirical measurement, process improvement and proactive blocker removal.
- Stakeholder Partnership: Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Domain Architects to translate business needs into technical outcomes. Push back on unrealistic scope with data, not opinion.
- Continuous Improvement: Drive improvement in delivery capability, operating models and tooling. Promote visibility and transparency through effective tracking and communication.
What you will bring
- Technical Depth: 5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience with recent production code contributions. Strong grounding in system design, architecture patterns and modern engineering tooling. T-shaped profile: deep expertise in at least one area with broad competence across the full stack. Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, test automation, observability and quality-focused development practices. Enthusiasm for AI tooling and a willingness to lead its adoption within your team.
- People and Leadership: An explicit desire to lead people whilst remaining an active technical contributor. High emotional intelligence and resilience under pressure. Experience coaching engineers, running effective 1:1s and providing constructive feedback. Ability to create inclusive, engaging team environments with a strong engineering culture. Comfortable addressing underperformance constructively when needed.
- Delivery and Communication: Skilled in Agile delivery methods (Scrum, Kanban) with experience managing delivery risk and stakeholder expectations. A strong unblocker who translates and synthesises rather than simply relaying messages. Confident communicator who adjusts style for different audiences and fosters open dialogue. Track record of building and scaling teams, processes and delivery capability.
About BackBase
Backbase is the maker of the AI-native Banking OS, the operating system that turns fragmented banking operations into a Unified Frontline. Customers, employees and AI agents work as one across digital channels, front office and operations. Every actor operates from the same truth, every decision carries a full audit trail, and every capability compounds on the same foundation. We have been building banking software since 2003. Today, 150+ banks run on Backbase, supported by 2,000+ employees globally, 4,000+ certified experts and 16 offices across 5 continents. 50% of our team works in R&D, which means engineering is not a support function here; it is the core of what we do. Our platform powers Elastic Operations across retail banking, small business banking, commercial banking, private banking and wealth management. We help banks modernise progressively, one domain at a time, with no rip-and-replace and no big-bang migration.
(RD) Engineering Team Lead (ETL) in Cardiff employer: Backbase
Backbase is an exceptional employer for those seeking to lead in technology while nurturing talent. With a strong focus on engineering excellence and a culture that prioritises psychological safety, employees are empowered to grow through meaningful coaching and development opportunities. Located in a dynamic environment, Backbase offers the unique advantage of being at the forefront of AI-native banking solutions, ensuring that every team member plays a crucial role in shaping the future of financial technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land (RD) Engineering Team Lead (ETL) in Cardiff
✨Tip Number 1
Get your hands dirty with the tech! Make sure you can talk the talk and walk the walk. Brush up on your coding skills and be ready to dive into the codebase during interviews. Show them you're not just a leader, but also a techie who can contribute directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry meetups. This way, you can get insider info about the company culture and maybe even a referral. We love seeing familiar faces in our applications!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those tricky technical questions! Brush up on system design and architecture principles, as well as modern engineering practices. Be ready to discuss how you’ve tackled challenges in the past and how you’d approach problems in this role.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to showcase your people skills! Talk about your experience in coaching and developing teams. Highlight how you’ve built a positive team culture and resolved conflicts. We want to see that you can lead while still being hands-on with the tech!
We think you need these skills to ace (RD) Engineering Team Lead (ETL) in Cardiff
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Technical Skills:Make sure to highlight your hands-on coding experience and technical depth in your application. We want to see that you can dive into the codebase and contribute actively, so don’t hold back on showcasing your recent projects and achievements!
Emphasise People Leadership:Since this role is all about leading a squad, share your experiences in coaching and developing engineers. We’re looking for someone who can create a positive team culture, so include examples of how you've built strong relationships and supported your team’s growth.
Be Clear on Delivery Mastery:Talk about your experience with Agile methodologies and how you've optimised delivery processes in the past. We love data-driven insights, so if you have metrics or examples of how you’ve improved delivery predictability, make sure to include those!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at Backbase
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re up to speed with the latest in system design, architecture patterns, and modern engineering tools. Brush up on your coding skills and be ready to demonstrate your technical depth during the interview. They’ll want to see that you can not only lead but also dive into the codebase when needed.
✨Showcase Your People Skills
This role is all about leading a team while staying hands-on with technology. Be prepared to discuss your experience in coaching engineers, running effective 1:1s, and creating a positive team culture. Share specific examples of how you've resolved conflicts or supported team members' growth.
✨Prepare for Real-World Scenarios
Expect to tackle real-world problems during the interview. They might present you with a production issue or a design challenge. Think through your approach to debugging or system design on the spot, showcasing your ability to lead under pressure and make sound technical decisions.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Strong communication is key in this role. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly, especially when discussing complex technical concepts. Be ready to adjust your communication style based on your audience, whether it’s technical staff or stakeholders. This will demonstrate your ability to foster open dialogue and collaboration.
