At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team to design impactful backend systems for financial inclusion.
- Company: Join M-KOPA, a recognised FinTech leader transforming lives across Africa.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, professional development, and family-friendly policies.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with real ownership and growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of finance while empowering millions with credit access.
- Qualifications: Experience in C#/.NET and Azure, plus leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
Join our growing FinTech Engineering team! We're recruiting a Backend Engineering Team Lead to spearhead the delivery of our new loan origination architecture, compliance systems, and pricing platform - infrastructure that will power M-KOPA's next phase of expansion across Africa.
The Impact
Your architecture will directly shape how millions of people access credit for the first time. We've already served over 7 million customers and unlocked more than $2 billion in credit since we began. Every system you design, every engineer you develop, and every decision you make contributes to a platform that's quite literally transforming financial inclusion across an entire continent.
The Opportunity
- Mission-driven engineering: Your daily work enables affordable smartphones, digital loans, and financial services for Africa's Every Day Earners - people for whom traditional finance simply doesn't work.
- Global recognition: Join a FinTech company named by TIME 100 as one of the world's most influential and by the Financial Times as Africa's fastest-growing company for five consecutive years (2022–2026).
- Scale that matters: You'll be architecting systems that process over 2 million payments daily across five markets - and building for the next 10 million customers.
- Environmental impact: We're carbon-negative, having avoided 2.155 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions across our product portfolio.
What You'll Do
At M-KOPA, you'll lead a team of backend engineers through both greenfield and legacy projects, owning the full software lifecycle from design ideation through to production and eventual decommissioning. Our engineering teams work under a true DevOps culture - with infrastructure as code, observability, automated testing, and continuous delivery treated as first-order concerns, not afterthoughts.
You'll set architectural direction, partner closely with your Product Manager counterpart on roadmap planning and prioritisation, and serve as a servant leader who grows the people around you while shipping high-quality, impactful software.
Technical Environment
- Languages & frameworks: C#/.NET
- Cloud: Azure
- Architecture: Event-driven systems and microservice development (Service Bus)
- Engineering culture: DevOps, infrastructure as code, observability and monitoring, automated testing across all environments including production, continuous delivery
Our Engineering Approach
- Full ownership: Teams own their solutions end-to-end - from inception through production support to decommissioning.
- Servant leadership: We lead by coaching and enabling, not directing.
- Quality by default: Observability, monitoring, and automated testing are built in from day one.
- Continuous improvement: We foster a culture of innovation within a supportive, dynamic team environment.
- Product partnership: Engineering and Product work as genuine counterparts - planning together, prioritising together, delivering together.
What You Need
We're looking for an experienced low-ego backend engineering leader who brings both technical depth and a genuine passion for growing people.
Required Experience:
- Strong hands-on background in C#/.NET backend development
- Proven experience with Azure cloud services
- Solid understanding of event-driven architecture and microservice development (Service Bus, RabbitMQ, Kafka etc)
- Experience leading or mentoring engineers in a collaborative team environment
- Ability to set technical direction and provide architectural guidance
- Comfortable working with Product to shape roadmaps and drive delivery
The Team
You'll lead a team of three engineers - two senior engineers with longer tenure and one mid-level engineer who joined more recently. The team is just under a year old, with a dedicated Product Manager as your counterpart. It's a tight-knit, focused group with real ownership over a significant part of the M-KOPA platform.
Location & Benefits
- Fully remote role within UTC -1 to UTC +3 time zones
- Work with diverse teams across the UK, Europe, and Africa
- Professional development programmes and coaching partnerships
- Family-friendly policies and flexible working arrangements
- Well-being support and genuine career growth opportunities
Our Mission
We create financial inclusion for the traditionally excluded through a fair, flexible, customer-centric financing model. We strive to drive greater inclusion of women, youth, and low-income communities.
Our Impact
- Connected: 2.5 million first-time smartphone users connected to the mobile internet
- Prosperous: 70% of customers use M-KOPA products for income generation, with 35,000 livelihoods created for agents
- Green: 2.155 million tonnes of CO₂ avoided through clean energy and circular economy products, with over 127,700 circular economy products provided
Ready to build the systems that create real-world financial inclusion while leading a talented team of engineers? Apply Now!
Why M-KOPA?
At M-KOPA, we empower our people to own their careers through diverse development programs, coaching partnerships, and on-the-job training. We support individual journeys with family-friendly policies, prioritize well-being, and embrace flexibility.
Join us in shaping the future of M-KOPA as we grow together. Explore more at m-kopa.com.
M-KOPA is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained staff. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
M-KOPA explicitly prohibits the use of Forced or Child Labour and respects the rights of its employees to agree to terms and conditions of employment voluntarily, without coercion, and freely terminate their employment on appropriate notice. M-KOPA shall ensure that its Employees are of legal working age and shall comply with local laws for youth employment or student work, such as internships or apprenticeships. M-KOPA does not collect/charge any money as a pre-employment or post-employment requirement.
Applications for this position will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Shortlisting and interviews will take place at any stage during the recruitment process. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a suitable candidate is selected before the advertised closing date.
If your application is successful M-KOPA undertakes pre-employment background checks as part of its recruitment process, these include; criminal records, identification verification, academic qualifications, employment dates and employer references.
Backend Engineering Team Lead in London employer: M Kopa
M-KOPA is an exceptional employer that champions financial inclusion across Africa, offering a mission-driven work environment where your contributions directly impact millions of lives. With a fully remote setup, flexible working arrangements, and a strong focus on professional development, employees are empowered to grow their careers while enjoying a supportive and inclusive culture. Join a globally recognised FinTech leader that prioritises well-being and fosters innovation, making it an ideal place for passionate engineers to thrive.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Backend Engineering Team Lead in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the FinTech space, especially those who might know someone at M-KOPA. A friendly chat can open doors that applications alone can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you have a portfolio or GitHub with relevant projects, make sure to highlight them during interviews. It’s a great way to demonstrate your expertise in C#/.NET and microservices.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the culture fit! M-KOPA values servant leadership and collaboration, so think about examples from your past where you've supported and grown your team. Be ready to share those stories!
✨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 M-KOPA mission.
We think you need these skills to ace Backend Engineering Team Lead in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for financial inclusion and technology shine through. We want to see how your values align with our mission at M-KOPA!
Tailor Your Experience:Make sure to highlight your hands-on experience with C#/.NET and Azure. We’re looking for someone who can lead our backend team, so showcase any relevant projects or leadership roles you've had.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and focus on what makes you a great fit for the Backend Engineering Team Lead role.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and get the ball rolling on your journey with M-KOPA.
How to prepare for a job interview at M Kopa
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your C#/.NET skills and be ready to discuss your experience with Azure cloud services. Be prepared to explain how you've implemented event-driven architecture and microservices in past projects, as this will show your technical depth.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
As a Backend Engineering Team Lead, you'll need to demonstrate your servant leadership approach. Think of examples where you've mentored engineers or fostered collaboration within a team. Highlight how you empower others to take ownership of their work.
✨Align with the Company Mission
Familiarise yourself with M-KOPA's mission of financial inclusion and be ready to discuss how your values align with theirs. Share your passion for creating impactful technology that helps underserved communities, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Prepare for Product Partnership Questions
Expect questions about how you would collaborate with Product Managers. Think of specific instances where you've worked closely with product teams to shape roadmaps and drive delivery. This will showcase your ability to bridge the gap between engineering and product development.
