At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and deliver scalable backend solutions for Trust Detection systems.
- Company: Join Depop, a forward-thinking tech company focused on safety and innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy health perks, flexible working, and generous leave policies.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for mentorship and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping detection capabilities in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Strong backend skills with experience in production systems and data-intensive architectures.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About the role
Depop’s Trust Detection squad builds proactive, scalable detection systems that identify harmful content and user behaviour early, enabling fast, fair and effective moderation at scale. As a Senior Backend Engineer in Trust Detection you will shape, evolve and scale these detection capabilities, working closely with ML engineers, scientists and cross‑functional partners.
Responsibilities
- Independently design and deliver backend solutions to medium‑to‑large problem spaces, from discovery through production and iteration.
- Build and evolve core detection services, pipelines, and APIs that operate at scale and under real‑world adversarial conditions.
- Work hands‑on with ML Engineers and ML Scientists to productionise models and improve detection pipelines, monitoring, and iteration loops.
- Take end‑to‑end ownership of your work, including design, implementation, testing, observability and operational support.
- Contribute to shaping technical direction within the team, improving system design, reliability and developer experience.
- Operate in an experiment‑led environment, helping define hypotheses, success metrics and feedback loops.
- Collaborate closely with Product, Fraud, Trust and Safety and other Engineering teams to ensure solutions are well scoped and well understood.
- Actively contribute to continuous improvement through retrospectives, post‑incident reviews and technical discussions.
- Mentor and support other engineers in the team, raising the overall quality of delivery.
Qualifications
- Strong backend engineering fundamentals with experience independently delivering production systems.
- Proficiency in at least one backend language such as Scala, Java or Python, with the ability to learn new languages quickly.
- Experience working with data‑intensive systems, including designing, consuming and evolving data models across services.
- Experience building or operating event‑driven systems, such as producing and consuming events or messages in distributed architectures.
- Experience building scalable and reliable services and APIs.
- Strong sense of ownership paired with effective collaboration and communication.
- Comfort working in ambiguous problem spaces and proactively shaping solutions.
- Solid testing practices across unit and integration levels.
- Experience working in a DevOps‑oriented environment, including CI/CD and production monitoring.
- Helpful experience with running, maintaining or evolving ML‑powered systems in production.
- Experience in experiment‑led or hypothesis‑driven teams with strong data and insights practices.
- Prior work in Trust and Safety, fraud, abuse detection or moderation systems.
- Experience in marketplace or eCommerce environments.
- Hands‑on experience with message brokers or streaming platforms such as Kafka.
- Experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
- Familiarity with AWS infrastructure and infrastructure‑as‑code tooling.
Benefits
- Health + Mental Wellbeing: PMI and cash plan healthcare access with Bupa, subsidised counselling and coaching with Self Space, Cycle to Work scheme and Green Commute Initiative.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for 24/7 confidential support and Mental Health First Aiders across the business.
- Work/Life Balance: 25 days annual leave (up to 5 days can be carried over) and one company‑wide day off per quarter.
- Impact hours: up to 2 days additional paid leave per year for volunteering.
- Fully paid 4‑week sabbatical after 5 years of consecutive service with Depop.
- Flexible working: MyMode hybrid‑working model with Flex, Office‑Based and Remote options (role‑dependent) and the ability to work abroad for 4 weeks per year in UK tax treaty countries.
- Family Life: 18 weeks of paid parental leave for full‑time employees, IVF leave, shared parental leave and paid emergency parent/carer leave.
- Learning & Growth: budgets for conferences, learning subscriptions and other up‑skilling programmes.
- Insurance and retirement: Life Insurance (3× your salary), pension match up to 6% of qualifying earnings.
- Depop Extras: free shipping on Depop sales within the UK and special milestone celebrations with gifts and rewards.
EEO Statement: Depop is an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy or maternity or any other protected status. We are open to accommodating all needs you may have. For disability accommodations, please email.
Senior Backend Engineer - Trust Detection in London employer: Depop Limited
Depop is an exceptional employer that prioritises employee well-being and growth, offering a comprehensive benefits package including health and mental wellbeing support, flexible working arrangements, and generous leave policies. The collaborative work culture fosters innovation and continuous improvement, while the opportunity to work on impactful projects in Trust Detection allows employees to make a meaningful difference in user safety. With a commitment to professional development and a supportive environment, Depop is an ideal place for those seeking a rewarding career in technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Backend Engineer - Trust Detection in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry, especially those at Depop. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that a job description just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you've got a project or two that showcases your backend engineering chops, share them. Whether it's on GitHub or your own site, let your work speak for itself.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview like it’s a big game! Research Depop's Trust Detection squad, understand their challenges, and come armed with ideas on how you can contribute. Confidence is key!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the team!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Backend Engineer - Trust Detection in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Skills:When you're writing your application, make sure to highlight your backend engineering skills. Talk about the languages you know, like Scala, Java, or Python, and any cool projects you've worked on that showcase your ability to deliver production systems.
Be Specific About Your Experience:We want to see your experience with data-intensive systems and event-driven architectures. Share specific examples of how you've designed and evolved data models or built scalable services. The more detail, the better!
Demonstrate Your Ownership:Take the opportunity to show us your sense of ownership in your application. Discuss how you've taken end-to-end responsibility for your work, from design to implementation and testing. We love candidates who can own their projects!
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to tailor your application to the role. Use keywords from the job description and relate your experiences to the responsibilities listed. And remember, applying through our website is the best way to get noticed!
How to prepare for a job interview at Depop Limited
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the backend languages mentioned in the job description, like Scala, Java, or Python. Brush up on your experience with data-intensive systems and event-driven architectures, as these will likely come up during technical discussions.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific examples where you've tackled ambiguous problems. Think about how you shaped solutions in previous roles, especially in Trust and Safety or fraud detection. This will demonstrate your ability to operate effectively in complex environments.
✨Emphasise Collaboration
Since this role involves working closely with ML engineers and cross-functional teams, be ready to share experiences where you’ve successfully collaborated on projects. Highlight your communication skills and how you’ve contributed to team success in past roles.
✨Demonstrate Ownership and Continuous Improvement
Be prepared to talk about how you take end-to-end ownership of your work. Discuss your approach to testing, observability, and operational support, as well as any experiences you have with retrospectives and post-incident reviews to show your commitment to continuous improvement.
