At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and implementation of scalable Payments and Fulfilment systems.
- Company: Join Depop, a vibrant community-driven fashion marketplace with over 35 million users.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, generous leave, health benefits, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values innovation and collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in circular fashion while advancing your tech career.
- Qualifications: Experience in backend engineering and strong programming skills in Scala, Java, or TypeScript.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
Depop is the community-powered circular fashion marketplace where anyone can buy, sell and discover desirable secondhand fashion. With a community of over 35 million users, Depop is on a mission to make fashion circular, redefining fashion consumption. Founded in 2011, the company is headquartered in London, with offices in New York and Manchester, and in 2021 became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Etsy.
Our mission is to make fashion circular and to create an inclusive environment where everyone is welcome, no matter who they are or where they’re from. Just as our platform connects people globally, we believe our workplace should reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. We thrive on the power of different perspectives and experiences, knowing they drive innovation and bring us closer to our users. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, providing employment opportunities without regard to age, ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy or maternity, marriage and civil partnership, or any other protected status. We’re continuously evolving our recruitment processes to ensure fairness and are open to accommodating any needs you might have.
In 2025 our ambition is to be a high-performing, delivery-focused organisation and the best engineering organisation for those who value meaningful career growth. We are looking for a UK based Staff Backend Engineer to be a key technical leader within the teams responsible for Depop’s Payments and Fulfilment systems, ensuring we provide our users with a best in class payments and shipping experience.
You should feel equally at home around a whiteboard with a group of engineers, as you are explaining complex technical topics and why they matter to leadership and non-technical collaborators. You’ll own and drive the technical vision for how we can evolve the architecture, to fundamentally shift our product squads ability to move at speed and drive further innovation & improvements for our users in the space. You will work closely with multiple product squads, other Staff and Backend engineers, and product & engineering leaders, providing deep technical expertise to ensure our Payment and Fulfilment systems are scalable, secure, observable, and fit for our future growth ambitions.
Responsibilities- Partner with senior collaborators across Product, Engineering, Finance and Ops to translate strategic goals into well-architected, scalable platform capabilities.
- Drive the technical design and implementation of key Payments and Fulfilment features, providing hands-on coding and architectural leadership.
- Define and evolve the technical roadmap for our Payments and Fulfilment systems, ensuring they’re extensible for Product squads, and simple for engineers to work with.
- Champion engineering excellence, setting high technical standards and advocating for best practices in system design, maintainability, performance, and building for speed.
- Lead efforts to evangelise and generate consensus for why the technical work in this area is of high importance.
- Mentor and coach engineers, elevating the technical capabilities of the teams around you and fostering a culture of technical excellence.
- Identify and address complex technical challenges and bottlenecks, proposing and implementing effective solutions.
You’ll be an excellent fit if you have:
- Experience as a Staff Engineer or equivalent senior technical leadership role working across the Backend at scale, ideally in a consumer or marketplace environment.
- Deep expertise in designing, building, and operating distributed systems and platforms at scale.
- Exceptional programming skills in Scala, Java, or TypeScript, with deep cloud platform expertise (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
- Familiarity with event-driven architectures using Kafka.
- A strong technical background with a track record of hands-on architecture and development of complex backend systems.
- Ability to think strategically and pragmatically: you can define long-term technical strategies and implement rapidly, bringing others along with you.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills; you’re comfortable influencing technical direction and aligning diverse stakeholders across the organisation.
- You’ve previous experience in Fulfilment or Payments, including integration with vendors such as Stripe, PayPal, or shipping providers.
- Prior work in fashion, marketplaces, fintech, or sustainability-driven tech.
Health + Mental Wellbeing
- PMI and cash plan healthcare access with Bupa
- Subsidised counselling and coaching with Self Space
- Cycle to Work scheme with options from Evans or the Green Commute Initiative
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for 24/7 confidential support
- Mental Health First Aiders across the business for support and signposting
Work/Life Balance:
- 25 days annual leave with option to carry over up to 5 days
- 1 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 completion of 5 years of consecutive service with Depop, to give you a chance to recharge or do something you love.
- Flexible Working: MyMode hybrid-working model with Flex, Office Based, and Remote options *role dependant
- All offices are dog-friendly
- 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 regular employees
- IVF leave, shared parental leave, and paid emergency parent/carer leave
Learn + Grow:
- Budgets for conferences, learning subscriptions, and more
- Mentorship and programmes to upskill employees
Your Future:
- Life Insurance (financial compensation of 3x your salary)
- Pension matching up to 6% of qualifying earnings
Depop Extras:
- Employees enjoy free shipping on their Depop sales within the UK.
- Special milestones are celebrated with gifts and rewards!
Staff Backend Engineer in London employer: Dormont Manufacturing Co
Depop is an exceptional employer that champions a diverse and inclusive work environment, reflecting the vibrant community it serves. With a strong focus on employee growth, offering mentorship programmes, learning budgets, and a unique MyMode hybrid-working model, Depop ensures that its staff can thrive both personally and professionally. Located in London, employees benefit from a dog-friendly office, generous leave policies, and the opportunity to work abroad, making it a truly rewarding place to build a meaningful career in the circular fashion industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Backend Engineer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at Depop on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your technical skills. Make sure you can confidently discuss your experience with distributed systems and the programming languages mentioned in the job description. Practice coding challenges to keep your skills sharp!
✨Tip Number 3
Show your passion for circular fashion! Be ready to discuss how your values align with Depop's mission. Share any relevant experiences or projects that highlight your commitment to sustainability and innovation in tech.
✨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 genuinely interested in joining the Depop community.
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Backend Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Circular Fashion:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for circular fashion shine through! Share why you’re excited about Depop’s mission and how your values align with making fashion more sustainable.
Tailor Your Experience:Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in backend engineering, especially in consumer or marketplace environments. Use specific examples that showcase your skills in designing and operating distributed systems.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application clear and to the point. Use straightforward language to explain your technical expertise and how it can benefit our Payments and Fulfilment systems. We love a good story, but make sure it’s easy to follow!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at Dormont Manufacturing Co
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your programming skills, especially in Scala, Java, or TypeScript. Be ready to discuss your experience with distributed systems and cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure. They’ll want to see that you can not only talk the talk but also walk the walk when it comes to technical expertise.
✨Understand Depop's Mission
Familiarise yourself with Depop’s mission to make fashion circular and their commitment to inclusivity. Show that you’re not just interested in the role but also in how your work can contribute to their goals. This will help you connect with the interviewers on a deeper level.
✨Prepare for Collaboration Questions
Since the role involves working closely with various teams, be prepared to discuss your collaboration experiences. Think of examples where you’ve influenced technical direction or aligned diverse stakeholders. Highlight your communication skills and how you’ve mentored others in the past.
✨Showcase Problem-Solving Skills
Be ready to tackle complex technical challenges during the interview. Prepare some examples of bottlenecks you've faced and how you resolved them. This will demonstrate your ability to think strategically and pragmatically, which is crucial for this role.
