At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop high-performance backend systems for a next-gen expense management platform.
- Company: Join Navan, a leader in transforming corporate travel and payment solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible vacation, healthcare, pet-friendly environment, and learning opportunities.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with excellent career growth and global team engagement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by solving complex engineering challenges with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in distributed systems, Java, and AI integration; 4-6 years preferred.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Navan has transformed the corporate travel, payment, and expense landscape by consistently prioritising user needs. We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer (Backend) for our AI-first engineering team to drive the architecture of a next-generation corporate expense management platform. In this role, you will scale backend systems powering global commerce, payments, issuing platforms, and payment/money ledgers, while building infrastructure for automated policy management, granular admin controls, and seamless accounting system integrations.
- Build at Scale: Design and develop robust, high-performance features and core services that support the company’s flagship product and serve a global customer base.
- Solve Complex Problems: Apply deep technical expertise and creativity to address large-scale engineering challenges, driving improvements in reliability, performance, and user experience.
- Deliver Customer-Facing Solutions: Take end-to-end ownership of features—from design and development to deployment and operational support—ensuring exceptional quality and value for users.
- Collaborate Across Teams: Work effectively as part of a global, cross-functional team, partnering with fellow engineers, product managers, designers, and business leaders to deliver impactful solutions and elevate team performance.
- Contribute to Engineering Culture: Champion best practices in code quality, scalability, documentation, monitoring, and testing, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Learn and Grow: Stay engaged with new technologies and industry trends, bringing a growth mindset and a passion for delivering elegant solutions to complex problems.
Benefits:
- Parental leave
- Commuter benefits
- Healthcare
- Flexible Vacation
- Health and Wellness
- Fuel for Connection
- Pet Friendly
- IATAN (travel-related discounts)
- 401k (retirement plan)
- Connectivity Allowance
- Learning & Development
Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
Systems Architecture: Strong experience with distributed systems, microservices, and API design, including practical expertise with AWS or other cloud platforms.
Experience: 4-6 years of experience building and scaling complex systems in fast-paced, high-growth, or large-scale environments (open to exceptional candidates with less experience).
AI Integration: Proven experience leveraging AI models and AI-driven development to build intelligent, automated features and enhance engineering productivity.
Product Experience: Hands-on experience developing and maintaining consumer-facing or core business products at scale.
Java & Spring Mastery: Proficiency in Java and Spring Boot, with a solid understanding of JVM performance and optimisation.
Technical Excellence: Commitment to engineering best practices in testing, documentation, scalability, and code quality, coupled with a passion for tackling technically demanding and customer-impacting challenges.
Ownership Mentality: A record of delivering production-quality, maintainable code, and supporting features post-release through monitoring and troubleshooting.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborative team player able to work effectively with global, cross-functional partners.
Fintech or payments processing experience is a plus.
Comfort with financial or workflow-heavy domains: expenses, payments, ERP, tax, or similarly high-stakes data.
Senior Backend Software Engineer in London employer: Navan
Join a dynamic and innovative team where your contributions will directly shape the future of our hotel compensation processes. As a Credit Controller in this project-based role, you'll enjoy a collaborative work culture that values autonomy and encourages professional growth, all while making a tangible impact on our multinational operations. With opportunities to optimise processes and build strong relationships across diverse teams, this position offers a unique chance to thrive in a fast-paced environment and advance your career in the hospitality industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Backend Software Engineer in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Navan or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Navan.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Navan.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Navan that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Backend Software Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Navan.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Navan and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Navan
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Navan uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
