At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build scalable backend systems for innovative financial products.
- Company: Join a dynamic fintech backed by a major global investment bank.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, remote work options, and continuous learning opportunities.
- Other info: Collaborative culture focused on diversity and engineering excellence.
- Why this job: Be a founding engineer in a greenfield project with real ownership and impact.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in Java/Kotlin and cloud-native development.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
The Senior Software Engineer will join a high-performing backend engineering team responsible for building and scaling modern, cloud-native platforms that power customer-centric financial products. You’ll play a key role in designing and delivering resilient, secure, and high-performance systems, working within collaborative squads focused on solving real-world problems at scale.
This role sits within an innovative, fast-growing environment that blends the agility of a startup with the backing and stability of a global financial institution. You’ll be instrumental in shaping architecture, influencing engineering standards, and mentoring engineers while delivering impactful solutions.
Company Highlights:- Backed by a globally established financial institution with significant investment in digital innovation
- Startup-like environment with a strong engineering-first culture sitting on top of an established user base (circa 70M+ Users)
- Customer-centric mission focused on building modern financial products from the ground up
- Highly collaborative structure with cross-functional squads and real ownership
- Strong emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and continuous learning
- Cutting Edge Technology - Java 25 and Kotlin, cloud-native infrastructure as well as unlimited Claude 4.6 usage
Opportunity to be a founding engineer as part of a Greenfield build out of a Fintech, backed by a major Investment Bank. You will have autonomy and ownership of the platform with the scope of influencing architectural decisions and seeing it through to production.
Key Responsibilities:- Design and build scalable, high-quality backend systems using modern engineering practices
- Apply domain-driven design principles to create robust and adaptable services
- Ensure systems are resilient, fault-tolerant, and free from single points of failure
- Develop secure, production-ready code with a focus on performance and reliability
- Own the full lifecycle: from design and development to deployment and optimisation
- Troubleshoot production issues and implement long-term fixes to prevent recurrence
- Enable seamless, zero-downtime deployments for critical services
- Optimize data access patterns and storage solutions for performance and scalability
- Continuously improve system observability, monitoring, and operational excellence
- Mentor engineers and contribute to a strong engineering culture
- Strong experience with JVM-based languages (Java and/or Kotlin)
- Experience building microservices and distributed systems at scale
- Cloud-native development (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
- Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
- CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practices
- Experience with event-driven architecture and messaging systems (e.g. Kafka)
- Strong understanding of APIs, RESTful services, and system design
- Database experience (SQL and/or NoSQL)
- Familiarity with observability tools and monitoring frameworks
- Strong problem-solving mindset with the ability to take ownership of complex challenges
- Passion for clean code, maintainability, and long-term system design
- Collaborative approach with a focus on knowledge sharing and team success
- Adaptable and comfortable working in fast-paced, evolving environments
- High standards for engineering quality and ethical decision-making
- Commercial awareness and interest in fintech or digital banking
Greenfield FinTech Buildout | Senior Java/Kotlin Engineer in Reading employer: Stanford Black Limited
Contact Detail:
Stanford Black Limited Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Greenfield FinTech Buildout | Senior Java/Kotlin Engineer in Reading
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the fintech space, especially those who work at companies you're interested in. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info on job openings.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a GitHub profile or personal website showcasing your projects, especially those using Java or Kotlin. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do beyond your CV.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by practicing coding challenges and system design questions. Use platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to sharpen your skills and get comfortable with problem-solving under pressure.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves.
We think you need these skills to ace Greenfield FinTech Buildout | Senior Java/Kotlin Engineer in Reading
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Senior Software Engineer role. Highlight your experience with Java, Kotlin, and any cloud-native projects you've worked on. We want to see how you can contribute to our innovative environment!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Share your passion for fintech and how your problem-solving mindset can help us build resilient systems. Don’t forget to mention your collaborative spirit and any mentoring experiences you have – we love team players!
Showcase Your Projects: If you've worked on relevant projects, whether personal or professional, make sure to include them. We’re interested in your approach to building scalable systems and your experience with microservices. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your technical prowess!
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 don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it shows your enthusiasm for joining our team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at Stanford Black Limited
✨Know Your Tech Stack Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Java and Kotlin, as well as the cloud-native technologies mentioned in the job description. Brush up on your knowledge of microservices, containerization, and CI/CD practices. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific challenges you've faced in previous roles and how you tackled them. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. This will demonstrate your strong problem-solving mindset and ownership of complex challenges, which is key for this role.
✨Emphasise Collaboration and Mentorship
Since the role involves mentoring engineers and working within cross-functional squads, be ready to share examples of how you’ve collaborated with others in the past. Highlight any experiences where you’ve contributed to team success or helped others grow, as this aligns with their focus on a strong engineering culture.
✨Understand the Company’s Mission
Familiarise yourself with the company’s customer-centric mission and their emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Be prepared to discuss how your values align with theirs and how you can contribute to building modern financial products that truly make a difference for users.