At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technical design and execution of innovative products while mentoring fellow engineers.
- Company: BJAK, a pioneering mobile-first insurance platform transforming financial accessibility.
- Benefits: Hybrid work model, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Fast-paced environment with a focus on real impact and career development.
- Why this job: Join a passionate team redefining financial applications for everyone, not just a select few.
- Qualifications: Strong software engineering background with hands-on experience in complex systems.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
About BJAK: The original mission of BJAK is we believe people deserve smarter ways to plan, save and grow their money. Started in 2019, we built the first mobile-first, insurance platform, enabling insurance to be accessible online by millions in the region. Today, it is the leading insurance platform in Southeast Asia. Our mission is to help people get more from their money every day.
We are looking for a Lead Engineer to take technical ownership of complex products and systems and raise the engineering bar across the team. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will be expected to design systems, write and review code, solve difficult engineering problems, guide other engineers and drive major initiatives from idea to production. You should be comfortable moving between architecture and implementation — making strong technical decisions while still being close enough to the code to execute when needed.
What You'll Own:
- Lead the technical design and execution of major products, features and engineering initiatives.
- Design scalable, reliable and maintainable systems across backend, frontend, APIs, databases and infrastructure.
- Stay hands-on with engineering through coding, prototyping, code reviews, debugging and production problem-solving.
- Make architecture decisions and technical trade-offs that balance speed, scalability, reliability and maintainability.
- Break ambiguous product and technical problems into clear engineering solutions and execution plans.
- Set a high bar for code quality, system design, testing, security, observability and production reliability.
- Review technical designs and code from other engineers and provide clear, actionable feedback.
- Mentor engineers and help strengthen technical capability across the team.
- Identify technical risks, bottlenecks and architectural weaknesses before they become larger problems.
- Work closely with engineering, product, design and AI teams to ship high-quality products quickly.
- Improve engineering tooling, development practices and automation to increase team velocity.
- Own systems beyond release — monitor production, investigate incidents, resolve root causes and continuously improve reliability.
What We're Looking For:
- Strong software engineering background with significant experience building and shipping production systems.
- Deep technical expertise in one or more areas such as backend, frontend, distributed systems, APIs, databases or cloud infrastructure.
- Strong system design and architecture skills with experience making technical decisions for complex or high-scale systems.
- Strong coding ability and willingness to remain hands-on.
- Proven experience leading major engineering projects or providing technical leadership to other engineers.
- Comfortable reviewing code, debugging complex issues and working directly with production systems.
- Able to explain complex technical decisions clearly and influence engineers across teams.
- Strong product sense and ability to connect technical decisions to customer and business outcomes.
- Able to work fast with ambiguity and take ownership from problem definition through production.
- Strong judgment around when to move quickly, when to simplify and when deeper engineering investment is required.
This Role Is Not For:
- Engineers who want a leadership title but no longer want to write or review code.
- People who only want to work within one narrow technical area.
- Engineers who wait for complete specifications before starting.
- Candidates who over-engineer solutions when a simpler approach would achieve the outcome.
- Engineers who focus only on implementation without understanding the product or business problem.
- People who avoid production incidents, difficult debugging or ownership after release.
- Candidates who make vague claims about technical leadership without being able to explain what they personally designed, built, shipped or scaled.
The Bar: We are looking for technical leaders with real engineering career highlights. A strong highlight means you personally designed, built, shipped or scaled a serious product, platform or system and can go deep into the technical decisions behind it. You should be able to demonstrate both technical depth and technical leadership — someone who can solve difficult engineering problems personally while making the engineers around them stronger.
Location: This is a hybrid role. You are expected to work from our local office at least 3 days per week, with the remaining days offering flexibility to work remotely. Candidates should be based in, or able to work from, the location where the role is advertised.
Language: English is our main working language across global teams. Strong English communication is required.
Interview Process: Our process is designed to move fast: Online assessment or practical task, Technical interview, CEO / final round. For strong candidates, we aim to complete the process and make an offer within 1 week from the start of the interview process. Candidates who complete assessments quickly will be prioritized.
Lead Engineer (UK) in London employer: Bjak
BJAK is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, making it an ideal place for ambitious professionals looking to make a significant impact. With a focus on employee growth and development, we offer numerous opportunities for advancement in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. Join us in our mission to scale operations across multiple countries and be part of a team that values ownership and efficiency.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Engineer (UK) in London
✨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 Bjak 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 Bjak.
✨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 Bjak.
✨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 Bjak 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 Lead Engineer (UK) in London
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 Bjak.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Bjak 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 Bjak
✨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 Bjak 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.
