Principal Engineer — Payroll Engine & Data Systems in London

Ebury helps ambitious businesses unlock global growth, and we take the same approach with our people. We encourage innovation and movement, collaboration and problem-solving, and foster an environment where everyone can feel they belong, are valued, supported and empowered to succeed. If you’re a collaborator who wants to help transform how businesses operate globally, get in touch - we’d love to discuss how Ebury can accelerate your career so you can shape the future.

The Mission

We are building more than a calculation engine; we are building an integrated global financial ecosystem. As a Principal Engineer, you will own the end-to-end lifecycle of payroll data—from the moment an employee is onboarded in a third-party HRIS, through our deterministic bitemporal calculation engine, to the final generation of global payment files and statutory reporting. You are an architect who writes code, a data engineer who understands state, and an integration expert who knows that a payroll system is only as good as the data flowing into it.

The Stack

• Core Engine & Data: Python (NetworkX, Pydantic, Decimal), PostgreSQL (Bitemporal modeling, dbt for analytics).
• Integrations & Pipelines: Node.js/TypeScript, Event-sourced architecture (Message Queues, Webhooks).
• The Ecosystem: Deep integrations with HRIS/HCMs (Workday, HiBob, BambooHR) and Ebury’s Payments architecture.
• AI-Augmentation: Claude Code for development and AI-driven data extraction.

What You’ll Own (The End-to-End Scope)

• The Calculation Engine: Design the DAG-based resolver and bitemporal logic to handle complex, multi-jurisdictional payroll math with 100% accuracy.
• Data Ingestion & Transformation: Architect the pipelines that ingest messy, unstructured data from fragmented HRIS sources and transform it into our deterministic PayrollRuleSchema.
• Third-Party Integrations: Build robust, API-first connectors and "Outbox" pattern event systems to sync data across the global HR/Fintech stack.
• The Payment & Reporting Rail: Own the generation of complex output artifacts—from ISO 20022 payment files to localized tax filings and GL (General Ledger) reports.
• Bitemporal Data Strategy: Ensure the entire data lake supports "As-Of" reporting, allowing users to reconstruct the state of any payroll run at any point in history.

Your Pedigree

• The Full-Stack Backend Mindset: You are equally comfortable optimizing a recursive SQL query as you are designing a resilient webhook listener or a topological sort algorithm.
• Data Pipeline Veteran: You have experience with ETL/ELT patterns, data validation frameworks, and ensuring Exactly-Once processing in financial systems.
• Domain Expertise: You’ve built at Deel, Rippling, Papaya Global or similar Tech-first Global Payroll and Payments company, and you understand that "Integrations" aren't just about APIs—they’re about mapping conflicting data models across cultures.
• Architectural Leadership: You can bridge the gap between "Product needs this integration tomorrow" and "Our data model needs to remain pure for the next 5 years."

The "Hard" Requirements

• Deep Polyglot Backend Skills: Expertise in Python (for the engine) and Node.js/TypeScript (for the integration layers).
• PostgreSQL Mastery: You understand bitemporality, window functions, and how to manage schema evolution in a multi-tenant SaaS environment.
• Location: London (Preferred), Madrid, or Malaga (4 days/week in-office).

About us

Ebury delivers sophisticated, integrated solutions — business accounts, hedging, and financing — on a single platform with a seamless workflow. Our success is built on a simple premise and singular purpose: To help businesses operate and scale globally. Since its founding in 2009, Ebury has always been a fast-growing leader in fintech. Today, we bring together 1,800+ Eburians across nearly 70 cities and we’re always looking to add to our team. At the heart of our offering is a proprietary platform, purpose-built to help businesses seamlessly streamline and manage global cash flow. We focus on continuous product evolution and innovation to build the infrastructure for borderless growth and help our clients scale at every stage. The opportunities at Ebury are as diverse as our people, ranging from business development to engineering roles across our tech pillars. We believe in inclusion. We stand against discrimination in all forms and are against the intolerance of differences that makes us a modern and successful organisation. At Ebury, you can be whoever you want to be and still feel a sense of belonging no matter your story.