Senior Backend Engineer
Summary
Build and maintain scalable Kotlin/Java backend services for fintech infrastructure, including APIs, payments, and account systems, while ensuring security and compliance.
We are looking for a talented, experienced Senior Backend Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will design, build, and operate the scalable, fault-tolerant backend systems
Responsibilities:
Design, build, and operate scalable, fault-tolerant Kotlin services, settlement, and account infrastructure.
Architect API-driven systems that meet the availability, performance, and security standards demanded by financial infrastructure.
Partner with product, frontend, QA, and DevOps to translate business and regulatory requirements into well-engineered solutions.
Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, scaling limits, and security gaps in production.
Write clean, well-tested, maintainable code and conduct thorough code reviews that raise the bar for the team.
Contribute to deployment, observability, and infrastructure decisions alongside DevOps.
Mentor other engineers and help foster a culture of technical rigor and continuous learning.
Qualifications:
Minimum of 7 years of professional backend engineering experience, ideally in fintech, payments, or financial services.
Strong proficiency in Kotlin (preferred) or Java and related frameworks (e.g., Spring Boot, Ktor). This is a foundational requirement and cannot be substituted by tooling fluency.
High fluency with modern AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code, Codex) and the judgment to use them effectively in a production codebase. AI fluency complements — but does not replace — deep, hands‑on expertise in backend system design.
Solid grasp of microservices, RESTful API design, and distributed systems.
Deep knowledge of SQL databases, including query optimization and schema design.
Experience operating systems on major cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
Practical experience with agile development, CI/CD, and modern observability practices.
Strong understanding of security best practices, compliance standards, and data protection considerations relevant to fintech.
Experience with financial systems, payment processing, or banking technology is strongly preferred.
Requirements:
Based in the Philippines, with the ability to commute to our Makati City office on a hybrid basis (primarily work from home, with periodic in-office days as requested)
Willingness and ability to travel to client sites as needed, primarily within Manila
Full-time
Fluent English communication skills required (written and verbal); Tagalog is a plus but not required
Ability to shift working hours as needed. Most days, core hours will overlap with US Eastern Time mornings (approximately 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET), which falls in the late evening / overnight in Manila and shifts by one hour with US daylight saving time. At times, alignment with standard Philippines business hours will be required to support local client implementations. A split‑shift arrangement is also a possibility (e.g., approximately four hours in the Manila afternoon, a break, and four hours in the evening overlapping with the US).
Must have legal authorization to work in the Philippines; no visa sponsorship provided
Comfortable working in a fast‑paced startup environment with frequently shifting priorities, ambiguity, and a high degree of ownership