Senior Backend Engineer

Senior Backend Engineer

About the company

Paystack Microfinance Bank is building banking with care. We’re focused on creating reliable financial infrastructure that helps businesses and individuals manage and grow their money over time.

We operate as a separate company, building on nearly a decade of Paystack’s work in digital commerce and expanding beyond payments into credit, yield, treasury management, and embedded banking tools. Our approach is deliberate, long-term, and grounded in trust.

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Backend Engineer to design, build, and operate the core backend systems that power our Microfinance Bank. In this role, you will take ownership of critical services such as customer onboarding and KYC, accounts and balances, transactions and ledgers, lending workflows, and internal operational tools.

You will work closely with product managers, frontend engineers, infrastructure, risk, compliance, and operations teams to build systems that meet regulatory requirements while remaining scalable, observable, and easy to operate. This role requires strong judgment, attention to detail, and a high bar for correctness in production systems.

This role is hybrid and requires working from the Paystack Lagos office for at least two days in a week.

Key responsibilities

• Design, build, deploy, and maintain backend services for core banking domains including onboarding, accounts, transactions, ledgers, lending, and reporting
• Own the implementation of complex backend features end-to-end, from requirements and system design through production rollout and ongoing support
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and deliver new features and enhancements, and to translate regulatory and business requirements into robust system designs
• Ensure the technical feasibility of UI/UX designs and optimize applications for maximum speed and scalability.
• Make and document architectural decisions that prioritise data integrity, auditability, and system reliability
• Build and maintain internal tools and APIs used by operations, support, and finance teams
• Write high-quality, well-tested code and lead by example through thoughtful code reviews
• Identify and mitigate performance risks, data consistency issues, and security vulnerabilities
• Improve system observability, monitoring, and incident response practices
• Mentor and support other engineers through technical guidance and knowledge sharing
• Participate in technical interviews and hiring decisions
• Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and industry trends to drive innovation within the team

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional software development experience, with deep backend ownership
• Expertise in one or more programming languages such as JavaScript, Typescript, Python, or Go. We have a preference for Typescript. However, proficiency in any C-style language is a valid consideration.
• Experience with AWS and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Solid understanding of software architecture, design patterns, and data structures.
• Proven experience with RESTful APIs, microservices architecture, and distributed systems.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Strong grasp of backend security best practices, including access control, data protection, and audit logging

Nice to Have

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field might be beneficial but not required.
• Experience working in banking, lending, or other regulated financial services environments
• Familiarity with core banking concepts such as ledgers, settlement, reconciliation, and reporting
• Exposure to regulatory requirements (e.g. CBN guidelines, audit trails, data retention)
• Experience building internal admin tools or operational dashboards
• Knowledge of cybersecurity best practices and compliance requirements (e.g., PCI DSS).
• Experience with machine learning and data analytics.

Soft Skills

• Strong problem-solving ability and comfort reasoning about complex, high-risk systems
• Clear and structured communicator across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• High sense of ownership and accountability for systems in production
• Ability to balance delivery speed with correctness and regulatory constraints
• Adaptability and willingness to learn new technologies and tools

Benefits

• Competitive salary and compensation package
• Comprehensive medical cover
• Fully covered parental leave
• Opportunity to take on leadership responsibility in a growing financial institution
• Smart, kind colleagues who are invested in your growth

Paystack Microfinance Bank is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind and are committed to creating a progressive, inclusive, and open-minded workplace. Our philosophy is simple: hire exceptional people and empower them to do the best work of their lives.