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- Tasks: Lead a team to design and build innovative fintech solutions that revolutionise payments.
- Company: Join Toptal, a leading talent marketplace transforming global finance.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, remote work flexibility, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with potential for career advancement in a fast-growing company.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the fintech space while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 6+ years in distributed systems, strong backend skills, and team leadership experience.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Join to apply for the Engineering Team Lead - Fintech / Payments (Early Stage) role at Toptal.
About Toptal: Toptal is the world’s leading premium talent marketplace, trusted by 30,000+ clients, processing over $5B in payments across 140+ countries. We’re launching Toptal’s next frontier: a borderless finance platform built on stablecoin rails to reinvent how millions of people manage, move, invest, and borrow money. Stablecoins are rapidly evolving into core financial infrastructure, and with regulatory clarity accelerating worldwide, this is the moment to build something foundational.
Get ready to:
- Write production code while setting technical direction across backend and frontend systems.
- Lead engineers working on APIs, core services, and client-facing applications (including mobile).
- Own end-to-end delivery of critical product capabilities, from data models to user experience.
- Partner closely with product, design, and compliance to deliver secure, scalable systems.
- Grow your leadership scope as the team and platform scale.
What you’ll do:
- Design, build, and operate distributed systems that move billions in payments globally with near-zero downtime.
- Write and review high-quality production code across backend and full-stack components.
- Provide technical leadership and people management across backend and frontend engineers.
- Set architectural direction and engineering standards that scale across services and client applications.
- Lead execution: planning, prioritisation, reviews, and delivery across teams.
- Embed compliance by design across backend and frontend flows (KYC/AML, fraud detection, auditability).
- Lead integrations with stablecoin and fiat rails (wallets, custodians, on/off-ramps).
What we’re looking for:
- 6+ years building distributed, transaction-heavy systems in production.
- Strong backend engineering depth (Typescript/Node.js), comfortable coding daily.
- Experience leading teams across both backend and frontend disciplines.
- Solid understanding of client application constraints (performance, UX, release cycles), including mobile.
- Strong experience with PostgreSQL and Redis at scale.
- Cloud & infrastructure fluency: AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, CI/CD, IaC.
- Experience operating in regulated fintech or payments environments.
- Capability and ambition to grow into broader technical leadership as the organization scales.
How you work (values we expect):
- Builder-first – you lead by writing and shipping real systems.
- Ownership mindset – you own outcomes across systems and teams.
- Execution-driven – progress and delivery matter more than ceremony.
- Long-term thinker – you design for scale, reliability, and team growth.
- AI-enabled – you use AI tools to increase leverage for yourself and the team.
Bonus points if you have…
- Led multi-discipline teams spanning backend and client applications.
- Experience shipping fintech or payments products end-to-end.
- Exposure to stablecoins, custody, or crypto infrastructure.
- Acted as a senior technical leader in a fast-growing organization.
Details:
- Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
- Employment type: Full-time
- Job function: Engineering and Information Technology
- Industries: Technology, Information and Internet
Engineering Team Lead - Fintech / Payments (Early Stage) employer: Toptal
Contact Detail:
Toptal Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Engineering Team Lead - Fintech / Payments (Early Stage)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the fintech and payments space. Attend industry meetups or webinars, and don’t be shy about asking for introductions. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those related to distributed systems or fintech. This is your chance to demonstrate your technical prowess and leadership experience, so make it shine!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and leadership examples. Be ready to discuss how you’ve tackled challenges in past roles, especially in regulated environments. Practice makes perfect, so consider mock interviews with friends or mentors.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We’re always on the lookout for talented individuals like you. Tailor your application to highlight your experience with backend engineering and team leadership, and let us know how you can contribute to our mission in the fintech space.
We think you need these skills to ace Engineering Team Lead - Fintech / Payments (Early Stage)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Engineering Team Lead role. Highlight your experience with distributed systems and leadership in fintech, as this will show us you’re a perfect fit for what we’re building.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t hold back on detailing your technical expertise! We want to see your experience with Typescript, Node.js, and cloud infrastructure. Include specific projects or achievements that demonstrate your capabilities in these areas.
Emphasise Leadership Experience: Since this is a leadership role, make sure to highlight your experience managing teams. Share examples of how you've led engineers across backend and frontend disciplines, and how you’ve driven successful project outcomes.
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 about the role!
How to prepare for a job interview at Toptal
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Typescript, Node.js, PostgreSQL, and Redis. Be ready to discuss your past experiences with these tools and how you've used them to build scalable systems.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led teams in the past, particularly in backend and frontend disciplines. Highlight your approach to people management and how you’ve fostered collaboration across different teams to achieve project goals.
✨Understand the Fintech Landscape
Brush up on current trends in fintech, especially around stablecoins and regulatory compliance. Being able to discuss these topics will show that you’re not just technically skilled but also knowledgeable about the industry.
✨Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Ability
Be prepared to tackle hypothetical scenarios or technical challenges during the interview. Think through your problem-solving process and be ready to explain how you would approach designing and delivering critical product capabilities.