Senior Lead Backend Engineer - Global KYC & Onboarding

Sponsor Finder; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 111,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSU

Wise Benefits

Job summary

Wise is seeking a Staff Backend Engineer (IC4) to shape architecture across verification services and drive scalable, secure backend systems. You will mentor engineers, collaborate with product and design, and help improve automation and performance in a cross‑functional, globally distributed team.

As part of the Global KYC and Onboarding squad in the Servicing department, you’ll contribute to a configuration-driven platform, refactor microservices, and push for high reliability while

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Java 8+ knowledge with Spring framework.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Strong system design for distributed, high-throughput services.
• Track record of mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
• Security best practices and data protection knowledge.
• Excellent problem-solving and attention to detail.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience with financial or KYC verification systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain high-performance backend services using Java, Spring Boot, and cloud technologies.
• Lead technical initiatives to improve verification systems focusing on automation, reliability, and performance.
• Collaborate with product managers to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Mentor junior engineers through code reviews and technical guidance.
• Drive architectural decisions and strategy for verification systems.
• Build internal tools to help verification agents work efficiently.
• Share knowledge and best practices to strengthen the engineering culture.

Skills

Java 8+

Spring Framework

SQL & NoSQL

Distributed systems

Mentoring engineers

Security best practices

Communication skills

KYC/financial verification

Job description

Wise is seeking a Staff Backend Engineer (IC4) to shape architecture across verification services and drive scalable, secure backend systems. You will mentor engineers, collaborate with product and design, and help improve automation and performance in a cross‑functional, globally distributed team.

As part of the Global KYC and Onboarding squad in the Servicing department, you’ll contribute to a configuration-driven platform, refactor microservices, and push for high reliability while