Lead Software Engineer

Understanding Recruitment; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Understanding Recruitment in London is seeking a Lead Python Engineer to own a core backend domain while leading a small engineering pod. The role combines hands-on coding (50-70%) with architectural leadership to deliver scalable financial infrastructure.

Based in London, this hybrid role involves 3 days in the office and 2 days work-from-home, and offers significant influence on product direction and engineering standards while shaping a fast-growing fintech platform.

Qualifications

• Extensive commercial experience building backend systems with Python.
• Experience developing and operating production-grade distributed systems.
• Previous experience leading projects or small engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of scalable, data-intensive platforms.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a backend engineering pod and contribute 50-70% of your time to coding.
• Build and evolve backend systems that support investment operations and trading workflows.
• Architectural leadership and technical design for new features and products.
• Mentor engineers and raise engineering standards across the team.
• Improve reliability, performance, and resilience of core systems.

Skills

Python backend

Distributed systems

Leadership

Communication

Job description

Location: London - Hybrid (3 days in office / 2 days WFH)

Industry: Fintech / WealthTech

We're working with a profitable, high-growth UK fintech that provides a platform used by wealth managers and financial advisers to manage investment accounts, portfolios, and trading workflows.

Following a recent Series C funding round, the company is continuing to scale both its team and platform. As a result, they're looking for a Lead Python Engineer to take ownership of a core area of the product while helping shape the future direction of the engineering function.

The Role

This is a hands-on technical leadership position, with approximately 50-70% of your time spent coding. You'll lead a small backend engineering pod while remaining closely involved in the design, development, and delivery of key platform capabilities.

You’ll be responsible for building and evolving backend systems that support investment operations, financial data processing, trading workflows, and platform scalability.

What You'll Be Working On

• Building scalable backend services using Python
• Designing systems that process financial data and investment workflows
• Leading architecture and technical design for new features and products
• Running a small engineering pod and helping drive delivery
• Improving the reliability, performance, and resilience of core systems
• Mentoring engineers and raising engineering standards across the team

What We're Looking For

• Extensive commercial experience building backend systems with Python
• Experience developing and operating production-grade distributed systems
• Previous experience leading projects or small engineering teams
• Strong understanding of scalable, data-intensive platforms
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Why Apply?

• Work on business-critical financial infrastructure
• Join a profitable company with strong funding and genuine product-market fit
• Lead a team while remaining deeply hands-on technically
• Have significant influence over architecture, engineering standards, and product direction
• Help shape a platform that is rapidly growing in both scale and functionality

For more information, feel free to contact Chris Williams.