Lead Backend Engineer (Pension Team)
About InvestEngine
InvestEngine is a fast-growing fintech based in London, on a mission to make ETF investing simple and accessible. Over 150,000 clients have trusted us with more than £2,7 billion in assets — and we’re just getting started. We’ve been featured in MoneyWeek, Finder and Forbes, and we’re scaling quickly with big ambitions.
About the Role
We’re looking for a Lead Backend Engineer to join and lead our Pension Team — a backend-focused team working on one of InvestEngine’s key product areas.
This role combines strong hands-on backend engineering with team leadership. In the first months, you’ll be expected to contribute to the codebase while gradually taking ownership of the team’s delivery, processes, and technical direction.
You’ll work closely with backend engineers, product managers, QA, and business stakeholders to plan and deliver both day-to-day product improvements and larger technical initiatives. One example of the scale of work could be migrating from one pension provider to another, which would require careful backend design, infrastructure changes, coordination with the business, and strong ownership throughout the process.
What You’ll Do
Design, develop, and maintain backend services in Python 3.11 using Django / DRF
Lead architectural discussions and contribute to long-term technical strategy
Work with MySQL and Redis to optimize performance and scalability
Build and improve RESTful APIs for internal and external integrations
Continuously improve system performance, reliability, and scalability as we grow
Collaborate with Product, Compliance, and Business teams to deliver impactful features and automate back office processes and workflows.
Investigate and resolve production issues, identify bottlenecks, and reduce tech debt
Apply best practices in Git workflows, CI/CD pipelines (TeamCity, GitHub Actions), and code quality
Drive improvements in our architecture, development processes, and internal tooling
Mentor and develop engineers through code reviews, pairing, and technical guidance
Support security and compliance requirements with pragmatic, scalable technical solutions
Help teams clearly communicate architectural decisions through documentation and discussion
What We’re Looking For
5+ years of backend development experience, including leading projects or small teams
Strong Python expertise; solid experience with Django or similar frameworks
Strong understanding of relational databases, caching, and scalable system design
Ability to operate in ambiguity, take initiative, and drive technical decisions
Excellent communication skills - especially written and spoken English with native or near-native stakeholders (B2+ required)
A collaborative mindset and passion for mentoring and growing engineers
Experience with modern development practices: Git, CI/CD, testing, clean code, monitoring
Nice to Have
Experience in fintech, regulated industries, or internal platform/B2B systems
Familiarity with AWS, Docker, and messaging systems such as RabbitMQ or Kafka
Contributions to open-source projects or personal technical initiatives
Prior experience helping teams adopt architectural standards or improve technical communication
How We Work
We’re a lean, collaborative team where developers help shape architecture, product direction, and engineering culture. You’ll have real impact, autonomy, and the trust to build solutions that scale with the business — without micromanagement or heavy bureaucracy.
What We Offer
Direct impact — work on business-critical systems and influence core architecture
Modern tech stack — Python 3.11, Django, MySQL, Redis, AWS, GitHub, TeamCity
Remote-first and flexible — work from anywhere, with meaningful overlap with London working hours expected for this leadership role (team rituals, cross-team alignment, and stakeholder meetings)
Unlimited vacation — take the time you need, when you need it
Hiring Process
Intro call with our Talent team
Technical interview with the Backend team
Final conversation with our CTO
Fast and clear process — typically 1–2 weeks from first call to offer.A supportive, experienced team that values quality, learning, and delivering results.
- Department
- Backend Developer
- Remote status
- Fully Remote
About InvestEngine
InvestEngine is an award‑winning, industry‑leading investment platform that champions the use of exchange‑traded funds (ETFs).
We are a team of industry experts with a passion for building great investment products. A powerful investment solution, we think everyone could benefit from using ETFs as a part of their financial strategy.