At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and development of financial data systems, including a new credit card ledger.
- Company: Join iwoca, a fintech innovator empowering small businesses across Europe.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible hours, competitive salary, medical insurance, and generous holiday leave.
- Other info: Dynamic team culture with opportunities for professional growth and exciting company retreats.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on financial systems while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in scalable back-end systems, proficiency in Python, and strong communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 86000 - 120000 £ per year.
Staff Back End Engineer - Finance Technology
Hybrid in London / Remote within the UK
The company
Small businesses move fast. Opportunities often don’t wait, and cash flow pressures can appear overnight. To keep going, and growing, SMEs need finance that’s as flexible and responsive as they are.
That's why we built iwoca. Our smart technology, data science and five-star customer service ensures business owners can act with the speed, confidence and control they need, exactly when it's needed.
We’ve already cleared the way for 100,000 businesses with more than £4 billion in funding. Our passionate team is driven to help even more SMEs succeed, through access to better finance and other services that make running a business easier. Our ultimate mission is to support one million SMEs in their defining moments, creating lasting impact for the communities and economies they drive.
The team
The Finance Technology team builds and maintains the payment infrastructure and financial data systems that power iwoca’s growth. The team partners with the Finance team to build scalable tools and supports other product teams to launch new products with enhancements to the payment infrastructure and financial data systems. As a group of skilled back-end engineers, they work closely with a dedicated Tech Lead and Product Manager, using Agile methods to ship code frequently and solve complex problems together. Four of the team work remotely and three are hybrid, working 1-3 days per week in the London office.
The role
Responsibility and Autonomy:
- Lead the delivery of projects involving many stakeholders and systems.
- Go beyond the code to develop a deep expertise in the Finance Technology team’s domain, understand our core financial products and our stakeholder needs to become a trusted technical advisor to the business.
- Perform detailed technical scoping and prototyping to support feasibility testing and decision making.
Delivery and Collaboration:
- Architect and implement scalable solutions for complex challenges, such as building payment microservices, implementing direct debits, and rearchitecting our reporting technology.
- Translate ambiguous product requirements into clear, actionable technical plans that guide the team’s work.
- Contribute high-quality, production-ready code and foster a collaborative environment by reviewing work, helping to troubleshoot live issues, and writing useful documentation.
Learning and Growth:
- Embrace and demonstrate a growth mindset by sharing new technologies and best practices within the team and across the company.
- Work with the Tech Lead to improve our development and agile practices, and to help raise the technical bar within the team.
AI:
- We're pushing hard on AI-assisted development. Engineers here write clear technical specs, let skills and agents implement boiler-plate, and hold a high bar on code review.
- We give the team unlimited tokens across all models and expect people to experiment.
The requirements
Essential:
- Proven experience building and running microservices and distributed systems in production. Comfortable reasoning about durable cross-service communication, transactional correctness, and failure modes at scale.
- Extensive experience with relational databases, ideally PostgreSQL, but open to MySQL or similar (e.g., MS SQL, Oracle); emphasis is on data integrity.
- Experienced managing the delivery of complex projects that are implemented by several engineers and leading feature development from 0-1 in a startup, scale-up, or SME environment.
- You use AI (like Cursor, Claude Code or similar) in your daily flow - whether for work or for fun. You use it to blast through boilerplate and research, so you can focus on the hard parts: complex architecture, rigour, and high-stakes decision-making.
- Proven track record of building and managing complex API integrations (e.g., Payments like Stripe/Braintree, or high-scale integrations in industries like Telecoms, Travel, Ad-Tech or similar).
- A strong technical or mathematical foundation, evidenced by a degree in a quantitative field (Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Maths or similar) or equivalent professional experience.
- Track record of mentoring engineers of varying levels as a peer - pairing on hard problems, raising the bar in code review, and unblocking teammates day-to-day
Bonus:
- Extensive experience with Python web frameworks (Django / FastAPI / Flask / Starlette / Ninja).
A background in high-logic or high-scale fields like Fintech, Gaming, Healthcare Tech, Logistics, Security/Cryptography or similar.
Working knowledge of modern data tooling - ideally Snowflake and dbt - used to build analytical or reporting pipelines.
The salary
We expect to pay from £100,000 to £124,999 for this role. But, we’re open-minded, so definitely include your salary goals with your application. We routinely benchmark salaries against market rates, and run quarterly performance and salary reviews.
The culture
At iwoca, the best idea wins. We model our culture on independent thinking, challenging untested logic, and evidence-based decisions. We prioritise learning and growth, and give people the autonomy to develop in the direction that makes them most effective.
We're a tech company and believe in the power of AI to help us work faster and better. We provide the infrastructure where every iwocan always has access to the best models and where those models have access to all of our data. We will help our people to learn how to use and grow with the new tools available to them.
The offices
We put a lot of effort into making iwoca a great place to work:
- Offices in London, Leeds, Berlin, and Frankfurt with plenty of drinks and snacks.
- Events and community-led groups, including running groups, padel, and monthly ping-pong and pool competitions.
The benefits
- Flexible working hours.
- Medical insurance from Vitality, including discounted gym membership.
- A private GP service (separate from Vitality) for you, your partner, and your dependents.
- 25 days’ holiday per year, an extra day off for your birthday, the option to buy or sell an additional five days of annual leave, and unlimited unpaid leave.
- A one-month, fully paid sabbatical after four years.
- Instant access to external counselling and therapy sessions for team members that need emotional or mental health support.
- 3% Pension contributions on total earnings.
- An employee equity incentive scheme.
- Generous parental leave and a nursery tax benefit scheme to help you save money.
- Electric car scheme and cycle to work scheme.
- Two company retreats a year: we’ve been to France, Italy, Spain, and further afield.
And to make sure we all keep learning, we offer:
- A learning and development budget for everyone.
- Company-wide talks with internal and external speakers.
- Access to learning platforms like Treehouse.
Useful links:
- iwoca benefits & policies
- Interview welcome pack
Staff Back End Engineer - Finance Technology in London employer: Iwoca Ltd
At iwoca, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that champions innovation and personal growth. Our vibrant London office fosters a collaborative culture where independent thinking is encouraged, and every team member has the autonomy to shape their career path. With flexible working hours, comprehensive benefits including medical insurance and generous parental leave, and a commitment to continuous learning, we empower our employees to thrive both personally and professionally while making a meaningful impact on the success of SMEs.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Back End Engineer - Finance Technology in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with current iwoca employees on LinkedIn. A personal introduction can make all the difference when applying for that Staff Back End Engineer role.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a GitHub or portfolio, make sure it’s up to date with your best projects. Highlight any experience with scalable back-end systems or financial ledgers to catch their eye.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your technical knowledge and problem-solving skills. Be ready to discuss how you’d tackle real-world challenges at iwoca, especially around payments infrastructure and data systems.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our mission to empower small businesses.
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Back End Engineer - Finance Technology in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Staff Back End Engineer role. Highlight your experience with scalable back-end systems and any relevant projects you've led. We want to see how your skills align with our mission at iwoca!
Showcase Your Technical Skills:Don’t hold back on showcasing your technical prowess! Mention your proficiency in Python, experience with PostgreSQL, and any other relevant technologies. We’re keen to see how you can contribute to our financial data systems.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use straightforward language to communicate your achievements and experiences. We appreciate clarity and want to understand your impact quickly!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at iwoca!
How to prepare for a job interview at Iwoca Ltd
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of scalable back-end systems, especially in payments and financial ledgers. Be ready to discuss your experience with Python and PostgreSQL, as well as any projects where you've designed data models or architected high-availability systems.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Staff Back End Engineer, you'll be expected to mentor others and lead projects. Prepare examples of how you've guided teams through complex design decisions and set technical standards in previous roles. This will demonstrate your ability to take charge and elevate the team's performance.
✨Communicate Clearly and Concisely
Effective communication is key, especially when discussing technical concepts with non-technical stakeholders. Practice explaining your past projects and their impact in a straightforward manner. This will show that you can bridge the gap between tech and business, which is crucial for this role.
✨Align with iwoca's Mission
Familiarise yourself with iwoca's mission to empower small businesses. Think about how your skills and experiences can contribute to this goal. During the interview, express your enthusiasm for helping small businesses thrive and how you see your role in making finance more accessible.