Senior Payments Platform Engineer
Senior Payments Platform Engineer

Senior Payments Platform Engineer

Full-Time No home office possible
MLabs Ltd

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and scale AWS-based payment infrastructure for a leading digital asset platform.
  • Company: Join a high-growth firm with a dynamic, low-bureaucracy culture.
  • Benefits: Earn $250K - $300K with significant autonomy and impact on user systems.
  • Why this job: Be at the forefront of fintech innovation and make a real difference.
  • Qualifications: Expertise in AWS, financial services, and infrastructure as code required.
  • Other info: Fast-paced environment with opportunities for mentorship and career growth.

Location: London (Office) On-Site | Full-time

Compensation: $250K - $300K

We are hiring on behalf of our client who is a high-growth development firm behind a market-leading digital asset launchpad. Operating at a massive scale with over $750M in daily trading volume and nearly $1B in revenue generated over the last two years, the organization maintains a lean, high-impact team of fewer than 100 people. The environment is fast-paced, data-driven, and maintains a high bar for engineering excellence. Decisions are made through experimentation, bureaucracy is kept to a minimum, and engineers are granted end-to-end ownership of their platforms.

Our client is seeking a Senior Payments Platforms Engineer to own and scale the infrastructure backbone powering critical fiat-to-crypto payment flows. This is a senior technical contributor role designed for an expert who builds cloud-native platforms and defines engineering standards to enable high-velocity product teams. The successful candidate will bring deep experience from a neobank, payment service provider (PSP), or tier-1 financial institution. This individual will be responsible for ensuring that cloud infrastructure remains reliable, scalable, and compliant under real-world financial constraints and rigorous regulatory expectations.

Key Responsibilities

  • Infrastructure Architecture: Design and operate multi-region, highly available AWS-based payments infrastructure with financial-grade resilience (active-active/active-passive failover and RTO/RPO commitments).
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Manage the full lifecycle of AWS resources (VPC, EKS/ECS, RDS/Aurora, SQS/SNS, API Gateway) using Terraform, Pulumi, or CDK.
  • Network Security: Design and enforce network architecture for regulated environments, including private subnets, PrivateLink integrations for third-party providers (e.g., Plaid, Stripe), and WAF/Shield Advanced configurations.
  • CI/CD & Deployment: Build and maintain pipelines supporting high-frequency production deployments, including blue/green releases, automated rollbacks, and SLO-gated deployment controls.
  • Security & Compliance: Define secrets management strategies (KMS, HSM integration) and design infrastructure controls to satisfy PCI DSS, SOC 2, and regulatory (FCA) audit requirements.
  • Observability: Own the monitoring stack (OpenTelemetry, CloudWatch, OpenSearch) to surface payment failures, latency spikes, and compliance anomalies.
  • Data Platform Management: Manage RDS Aurora PostgreSQL and event streaming (MSK/Kafka) for high-stakes transactional and reconciliation workloads.
  • Reliability & Disaster Recovery: Build automated runbooks, chaos engineering experiments, and load-test harnesses. Maintain and test multi-region disaster recovery scenarios.
  • Mentorship & Cost Engineering: Drive platform cost efficiency and mentor backend engineers on containerization and 12-factor app best practices.

Requirements

  • Deep AWS Expertise: Extensive production experience across core compute, networking, storage, and security services.
  • Financial Services Background: Proven track record at a neobank (e.g., Monzo, Revolut), PSP (e.g., Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com), or a major bank’s infrastructure division.
  • IaC & Containers: Mastery of Terraform at scale and strong experience with Kubernetes (EKS) or ECS operations.
  • Database & Messaging: Experience running RDS/Aurora PostgreSQL for transactional workloads and operating Kafka (MSK) or Kinesis for financial event pipelines.
  • Compliance Literacy: Familiarity with the infrastructure obligations of PCI DSS, SOC 2, or FCA/PRA regulated environments.
  • Operational Maturity: Experience in 24/7 on-call rotations for financial systems with a focus on incident response and post-mortems.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with Solana or EVM blockchain infrastructure, policy-as-code (OPA), or FinOps certifications.
  • Proficiency in Rust, Python, or Go for tooling is a significant plus.

Benefits

  • Compensation: $250K - $300K
  • High Impact: Direct ownership of systems reaching hundreds of thousands of users with immediate production impact.
  • Location: This is an in-person role based in London.
  • Environment: A high-intensity, low-bureaucracy culture where performance is rewarded with significant autonomy.

Interview Process

  • Recruiter / HR Screening Call
  • Founder / CEO Interview
  • Technical Interview I
  • Technical Interview II

Due to the high volume of applications we anticipate, we regret that we are unable to provide individual feedback to all candidates. If you do not hear back from us within 4 weeks of your application, please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion. We genuinely appreciate your interest and wish you the best in your job search.

Commitment to Equality and Accessibility

At MLabs, we are committed to offer equal opportunities to all candidates. We ensure no discrimination, accessible job adverts, and providing information in accessible formats. Our goal is to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace with equal opportunities for all. If you need any reasonable adjustments during any part of the hiring process or you would like to see the job-advert in an accessible format please let us know at the earliest opportunity by emailing human-resources@mlabs.city.

MLabs Ltd collects and processes the personal information you provide such as your contact details, work history, resume, and other relevant data for recruitment purposes only. This information is managed securely in accordance with MLabs Ltd’s Privacy Policy and Information Security Policy, and in compliance with applicable data protection laws. Your data may be shared only with clients and trusted partners where necessary for recruitment purposes. You may request the deletion of your data or withdraw your consent at any time by contacting legal@mlabs.city.

Senior Payments Platform Engineer employer: MLabs Ltd

Join a high-growth development firm in London that champions engineering excellence and innovation. With a lean team of under 100, you'll enjoy significant autonomy and direct ownership of impactful systems, all while working in a fast-paced, low-bureaucracy environment that prioritises performance and offers competitive compensation. The company fosters a culture of mentorship and continuous learning, providing ample opportunities for professional growth in the dynamic field of digital assets.
MLabs Ltd

Contact Detail:

MLabs Ltd Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior Payments Platform Engineer

✨Tip Number 1

Network, network, network! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who works in payments or fintech. You never know who might have a lead on your dream job!

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those related to AWS, Terraform, or payment systems. This gives potential employers a tangible look at what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews like a pro. Research the company and its tech stack, and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their needs. Practice common technical questions and scenarios that relate to payments infrastructure to boost your confidence.

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! We’re always looking for talented individuals like you. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Let’s get you that Senior Payments Platform Engineer role!

We think you need these skills to ace Senior Payments Platform Engineer

AWS Expertise
Infrastructure Architecture
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Terraform
Kubernetes (EKS)
RDS/Aurora PostgreSQL
Kafka (MSK)
Network Security
CI/CD & Deployment
Security & Compliance
Observability
Disaster Recovery
Financial Services Background
Operational Maturity
Programming in Rust, Python, or Go

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior Payments Platform Engineer role. Highlight your experience with AWS, IaC, and any relevant financial services background. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about this role and how your past experiences make you the perfect fit. Keep it concise but impactful – we love a good story!

Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t forget to showcase your technical expertise in your application. Mention specific projects where you've used Terraform, Kubernetes, or worked on payment systems. We’re keen to see your hands-on experience!

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it’s super easy!

How to prepare for a job interview at MLabs Ltd

✨Know Your Tech Inside Out

Make sure you’re well-versed in AWS services, especially those mentioned in the job description like VPC, EKS/ECS, and RDS/Aurora. Brush up on your Terraform skills too, as you'll need to demonstrate your ability to manage infrastructure as code.

✨Showcase Your Financial Services Experience

Be ready to discuss your previous roles at neobanks or payment service providers. Highlight specific projects where you’ve designed resilient payment infrastructures or dealt with compliance standards like PCI DSS or SOC 2.

✨Prepare for Technical Challenges

Expect technical interviews to include problem-solving scenarios related to network security and CI/CD pipelines. Practise explaining your thought process clearly, as they’ll be looking for your approach to real-world challenges.

✨Demonstrate Leadership and Mentorship Skills

Since this role involves mentoring backend engineers, prepare examples of how you've guided teams in the past. Discuss your experience with cost engineering and how you’ve driven efficiency in previous projects.

Senior Payments Platform Engineer
MLabs Ltd

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