At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the technical direction of our payments platform and design innovative payment solutions.
- Company: Join Masabi, a pioneer in fare payment technology transforming public transport globally.
- Benefits: Flexible remote work, competitive salary, and a supportive culture for career growth.
- Other info: Inclusive environment welcoming diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on millions of journeys while working with cutting-edge payment technologies.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in payment systems and cloud platforms, with excellent problem-solving skills.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
About Us: At Masabi, we’re driving the fare payment revolution, powering the journeys of millions all over the world. We build fare collection platforms that allow riders to seamlessly buy and present tickets for public transport either on their mobile phones, from a ticket machine, or even by tapping their bank card to travel. Our Justride platform is used in over 250 locations globally, including some of the largest cities in the world. With our industry-first mobile ticketing SDK, we’ve partnered with large players in the transport space, including Uber, Moovit and Transit.
Your own journey is important to us too. Choosing a role here means joining a network of innovators from all walks of life; a group of passionate individuals who consistently deliver. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to build the career you want. Whether you’re taking the direct route or trying a new path, we’ll support you no matter what.
The Role: We’re looking for a Principal Engineer - Payments to join Masabi’s Architecture team, with a primary focus on our payments domain. This is a senior role for someone who combines strong technical judgement with deep payments experience. You’ll shape the technical direction of our payments platform while staying close enough to the detail to design, review and support meaningful technical work. Working across the engineering organisation, you’ll act as a senior technical leader within the payments domain: contributing to architecture, guiding complex decisions and helping teams build scalable, resilient systems that support millions of journeys worldwide. The role suits someone who can move between system-level thinking and implementation, who understands trade-offs, can navigate ambiguity and helps turn complex or loosely defined problems into clear, practical technical approaches.
Location: This role is open to candidates based anywhere in the UK, with the flexibility to work fully remotely. For those based in or around London, we also offer the option of hybrid working from our London office.
Responsibilities:
- Shape the technical direction of Masabi’s payments platform, contributing to architecture, standards and engineering best practices.
- Design and deliver scalable, secure, resilient and cost-effective payment solutions aligned with Masabi’s platform direction.
- Support teams in building towards a modern, microservices-based architecture while balancing delivery priorities and long-term platform health.
- Stay close to technical delivery through architecture reviews, design discussions and targeted hands-on contribution where needed.
- Identify and work through complex technical challenges related to scalability, resilience, operational performance and system evolution.
- Act as a senior technical advisor across engineering teams, supporting and influencing technical decisions, particularly within the payments domain.
- Work with external providers and payment partners on integrations, technical alignment and problem-solving.
- Contribute to technical roadmap planning, prioritisation, technical scoping and architecture discussions for complex initiatives.
- Produce clear technical documentation and contribute to engineering standards, technical forums and good practices across the organisation.
About You: You bring a mix of strong technical expertise, sound judgement and real-world payments experience.
- Strong experience working on payment systems, including integrations with PSPs, gateways or acquirers.
- Good understanding of payment flows, transaction lifecycles and system design considerations.
- Experience designing and evolving distributed systems and microservices architectures.
- You’ve operated at Principal or Staff level, shaping technical direction across multiple teams or domains.
- Strong judgement and the ability to balance short-term delivery with long-term architectural outcomes.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity and turning complex problems into clear, practical technical approaches.
- Clear and thoughtful communicator, able to engage both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Comfortable being hands-on where needed, while maintaining a focus on system-level impact.
- You have strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and modern infrastructure practices.
- You’ve worked on systems where scale, reliability, performance and cost trade-offs matter, and can navigate those decisions thoughtfully.
- You’ve contributed to engineering standards, architecture patterns or platform direction.
- Interest in or exposure to AI-enabled systems, particularly understanding architectural implications in production.
Nice To Have:
- Experience with transit payments (e.g. contactless EMV, tap-to-ride systems).
- Familiarity with card schemes (e.g. Visa, Mastercard, Interac).
- Experience working in complex, multi-service or event-driven architectures.
- Familiarity with a range of tools and technologies including:
- Development: Kotlin, Java.
- Data storage: DynamoDB, MySQL.
- Infrastructure as code and CI/CD: Terraform, GitLab CI/CD.
You don’t need to have experience in every area listed above. If you bring strong fundamentals, good judgement and a willingness to learn, we’d still love to hear from you.
Careers at Masabi are for people going places - driven by a mission to make transit fair and accessible for all. We are a network of innovators from all walks of life, passionate about making a difference. At Masabi, we operate with openness and trust, creating an environment where everyone feels empowered to bring their whole, authentic selves to work. Whoever you are, just be yourself. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups, including disabled and neurodivergent people, and can make adjustments at any stage of the process. You’re also welcome to share your pronouns whenever you feel comfortable. Together, we simplify journeys, remove barriers, and improve daily life for millions.
Why Join Masabi? Driven by Purpose – We believe in journeys made simple. The work isn’t always easy, but the best things never are. Encouraged to Accelerate – Masabi is going places and our people are in the driving seat. Whether you’re taking the direct route or exploring new paths, we support your journey. Advancing with Empathy – We put people first and foster a culture of learning, not blame. No matter your cargo, we share the load. We’re already powering journeys - are you ready to join us?
Principal Engineer (Payments) in London employer: Masabi
At Masabi, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer by fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, where every team member is empowered to contribute to our mission of simplifying transit for millions. With flexible remote working options and a supportive environment that prioritises personal and professional growth, we provide the tools and opportunities for you to shape your career while making a meaningful impact in the payments domain. Join us in a dynamic workplace that values diversity and encourages you to bring your authentic self to work.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer (Payments) in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, especially those at Masabi. LinkedIn is your best mate here; drop them a message, ask about their journey, and express your interest in the Principal Engineer role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your payments knowledge. Dive deep into payment systems, transaction lifecycles, and microservices architecture. Show us you know your stuff and can navigate complex problems with ease!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just talk tech; show us your soft skills too! Be ready to discuss how you communicate with both technical and non-technical teams. We want to see that you can engage everyone and make complex ideas simple.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to get noticed. Make sure your application highlights your experience with cloud platforms and any relevant tools. We’re excited to see how you can contribute to our mission!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer (Payments) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Payments:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the payments domain shine through. Share specific experiences that highlight your expertise and how they align with our mission at Masabi.
Be Clear and Concise:We appreciate clarity! Make sure your application is easy to read and straight to the point. Use bullet points where necessary to break down your skills and experiences, especially those relevant to payment systems.
Tailor Your Application:Don’t just send a generic application. Tailor it to reflect how your background fits the Principal Engineer role at Masabi. Mention specific projects or technologies you've worked with that relate to our needs.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Masabi
✨Know Your Payments Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of payment systems, transaction lifecycles, and integrations with PSPs. Be ready to discuss your past experiences and how they relate to the role at Masabi. This will show that you’re not just familiar with the concepts but have practical experience to back it up.
✨Showcase Your Technical Leadership
Prepare examples of how you've shaped technical direction in previous roles. Highlight your ability to balance short-term delivery with long-term architectural outcomes. This is crucial for a Principal Engineer, so be ready to discuss specific projects where you’ve made a significant impact.
✨Communicate Clearly and Confidently
Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. You’ll need to engage both technical and non-technical audiences, so being able to articulate your thoughts clearly will set you apart. Consider doing mock interviews with friends or colleagues to refine your communication skills.
✨Be Hands-On and Solution-Oriented
Demonstrate your willingness to dive into the details when necessary. Prepare to discuss how you’ve tackled complex technical challenges in the past and what solutions you implemented. This hands-on approach will resonate well with the team at Masabi, who value practical problem-solving.
