Senior Backend Engineer

First Circle; Metro Manila; Remote; PHP 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Macbooks

Private health insurance

Training budgets

Job summary

First Circle is hiring senior backend developers to build and operate production-grade services across multiple fintech and banking products. You will own API design, data modeling, and resilient systems, collaborating with product and design to shape features from concept to production.

We value startup experience and curiosity about AI, with a globally distributed, primarily remote team and occasional travel to South East Asia.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building and operating production backend systems.
• Strong foundations in API design, relational databases, and data modeling.
• Experience in startup fintech, payroll, payments, or banking is a strong plus.
• Hands-on production experience: debugging, incidents, resilience.
• Curiosity about AI and practical use of AI tools.

Responsibilities

• Build and evolve backend services and APIs that are fast, reliable, and easy to change.
• Take features from idea to production: collaborate with product/design, ship, measure, and improve.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and write clear technical proposals.
• Keep services healthy by monitoring, triaging, and supporting users.
• Review code and mentor other engineers to grow.
• Bridge product, design, and business needs with practical technical solutions.

Skills

Backend development

Kotlin/Java/Ruby

APIs

Relational databases

Production systems

Job description

Job Description

First Circle is an SME-focused, credit-centric, and multi-product NeoBank in SE Asia which is fast-growing (>100%), profitable, and internationalising soon. We started life as an SME lender in the Philippines in 2016 to solve the SME credit gap by using technology to systemise underwriting, deliver exceptional UX, and automate away delivery costs. We've delivered our clients the fastest, cheapest, most flexible credit line available to businesses anywhere in Southeast Asia. We've been rewarded with both fast growth and exceptional unit economics, a rare combination in our space. Over the past two years we've expanded our product range to include business bank accounts & payments, e-Invoices, corporate credit cards, rooftop solar, and most recently deposits catalysed by securing a full bank charter in the Philippines. In 2027, we'll expand our geographical coverage to include at least two new markets in APAC. Our excellent track record results from our people & culture. We combine high standards & intensity with a collegiate environment. Our barometers of success are the rate of personal growth of our people, how long high performers choose to stay, and ensuring we we raise the bar with every hire. We are now hiring senior developers to drive meaningful impact during our most ambitious year of growth to date.

First Circle is an SME-focused, credit-centric, and multi-product NeoBank in SE Asia which is fast-growing (>100%), profitable, and internationalising soon. We started life as an SME lender in the Philippines in 2016 to solve the SME credit gap by using technology to systemise underwriting, deliver exceptional UX, and automate away delivery costs. We've delivered our clients the fastest, cheapest, most flexible credit line available to businesses anywhere in Southeast Asia. We've been rewarded with both fast growth and exceptional unit economics, a rare combination in our space. Over the past two years we've expanded our product range to include business bank accounts & payments, e-Invoices, corporate credit cards, rooftop solar, and most recently deposits catalysed by securing a full bank charter in the Philippines. In 2027, we'll expand our geographical coverage to include at least two new markets in APAC. Our excellent track record results from our people & culture. We combine high standards & intensity with a collegiate environment. Our barometers of success are the rate of personal growth of our people, how long high performers choose to stay, and ensuring we we raise the bar with every hire. We are now hiring senior developers to drive meaningful impact during our most ambitious year of growth to date.

What youll do

• Build and evolve backend services and APIs that are fast, reliable, and easy to change.
• Take features from first idea to production: shape the approach with product and design, ship it, measure what happens, and improve it.
• Help make architectural decisions, write clear technical proposals, and balance speed with solutions that will hold up over time.
• Keep your services running smoothly by setting up clear ways to spot issues early, respond quickly, and support users when something goes wrong.
• Review code, share what you know, and help other engineers grow.
• Work across product, design, and business to turn real needs into practical technical solutions—and explain the trade-offs clearly.
• 5+ years of experience building and operating production backend systems in Kotlin, Java, or Ruby.
• Strong foundations in API design, relational databases, and data modeling, with a clear sense of how to keep data consistent as systems scale.
• Experience in a startup environment, fintech, payroll, payments, or banking is a strong plus (especially if you've shipped products in regulated environments).
• Hands-on experience running services in production: debugging effectively, investigating incidents, and making systems more resilient afterwards.
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving environment where priorities can evolve.
• Curiosity about AI and practical experience using it, whether youre building LLM-powered features or using AI tools to work more effectively day to day.

No fixed budget, we hire globally and adjust offers based on experience and market rate.

Primarily remote, with the option to work from our office. We have offices in London, Hong Kong, Singapore & Belgrade where other senior engineers are based.

• Macbooks, private health insurance, training budgets and more!

Opportunity to travel to South East Asia.

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