Lead Backend Engineer (Pension Team)

InvestEngine; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited vacation

Remote-first and flexible work

Direct impact on business-critical systems

Job summary

InvestEngine is looking for a Lead Backend Engineer in Greater London to join and lead the Pension Team. The role involves hands-on backend development using Python 3.11 with Django, leading a team, and working closely with various stakeholders on product improvements. Candidates should have at least 5 years of experience in backend development, strong Python skills, and expertise in relational databases. The position offers a remote-first, flexible work environment with unlimited vacation and significant impact on architecture.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain backend services in Python 3.11 using Django.
• Lead architectural discussions and contribute to long-term technical strategy.
• Work with MySQL and Redis to optimize performance and scalability.

Skills

Backend development experience

Python expertise

Django experience

Understanding of relational databases

CI/CD practices

Excellent communication skills

Tools

MySQL

Redis

Git

TeamCity

Job description

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.