Product Engineer (Backend) — 0 to 1 builder wanted
Are you a backend engineer who thinks in systems, owns their decisions, and has the scars to prove it? Have you built something from scratch — as a founder, a founding engineer, or one of the first people in the door at a startup that actually shipped?
A high-growth product team inside a fast‑moving fintech is looking for a Backend Product Engineer to help build a new product line from the ground up. This team moves like a startup — lean, fast, and focused on getting things into users’ hands. They’re language‑agnostic, but think primarily in Go. More importantly, they think in outcomes.
What you’ll do
- Architect and build the core — own the backend systems, APIs, and infrastructure that power a new product line. No one will hand you the design.
- Ship fast, then make it right — MVPs in weeks, not quarters. They need someone who can make good trade‑off decisions quickly and iterate without fear.
- Influence the product — they want engineers who push back, ask why, and bring their own perspective on what should be built and how.
- Take full ownership — from design through deployment. This team has no room for ticket‑takers.
The team
This is a moonshot team — operating separately from the company’s day‑to‑day, with the mandate to build something genuinely new. The successful candidate reports directly to the head of the organisation. No bureaucracy. No waiting for committee sign‑off. Strong people, hard problems, fast pace.
The role is in‑office in London, 5 days a week. This team works hard — realistically 50–60 hours a week. They’re looking for someone who is genuinely ambitious and wants to build something they’re proud of.
What they’re looking for
- Ex‑founder, co‑founder, or first‑10 engineer at a startup — this is non‑negotiable. They need someone who knows what it feels like to own the outcome, not just the ticket.
- Backend‑strong, comfortable with infra and devops — the team primarily uses Go, but they care far more about engineering quality than language preference.
- 5+ years of strong engineering experience, with a track record of shipping production systems — not just prototypes.
- Can explain the why behind every product and architecture decision — and the answers get sharper the more you push.
- Uses AI dev tools daily and can speak concretely about how it changes their output and velocity.
- Genuinely ambitious — they want someone who cares about impact, not just craft.
What they offer
- Meaningful equity — a genuine stake in what you’re building
- Pension contributions
- Direct access to leadership and real influence on the product from day one
- The chance to build something from zero — in a high‑growth fintech with the resources to back it
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