Staff Backend Engineer

Financial Times

ABOUT US The Financial Times (FT) is one of the world’s leading business news and information organisations. We are recognised globally for our authority, integrity, and accuracy. We provide a broad range of essential services, including news, comment, data, and analysis, to a growing audience of internationally minded business people. Here at the FT, gold-standard journalism is just the beginning. Our 500-people-strong Product & Tech team keeps us ahead of the ever-changing digital landscape by delivering cutting-edge products to over one million digital subscribers every day. Our plans for growth rely on a diverse, dedicated, and dynamic group of product, tech, delivery, and data specialists – everyone’s welcome in this friendly, forward-thinking team. STORYFINDING TEAM The Storyfinding team sits at the heart of innovation between the FT’s newsroom and technology. We collaborate closely with the Computational Journalism team to uncover and scale new ways of finding stories hidden in complex or unstructured data. Our mission is to turn bespoke investigations into reusable tools and data products that empower more journalists to tell stories that otherwise would be untold. This is where engineering meets journalism — you can see the direct impact of your work on the FT’s homepage. Since the team was formed, Storyfinding has helped uncover more than 10 exclusive stories, including Europe builds for war as arms factories expand at triple speed and Prices for used Teslas drop in US and Britain. We are a cross-functional team of Software Engineers, Data Engineers, ML Ops Engineers, and Product Managers. We balance strong engineering practices with the fast-moving needs of the newsroom, delivering quickly while keeping our systems reliable, secure, and easy to evolve. ABOUT THE ROLE OVERVIEW We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer 1 to play a key role in designing, building, and operating the backend systems and services that power Storyfinding’s investigative and editorial work. This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role with a primary focus on backend software engineering. You will be responsible for designing and building robust backend systems and services, while also maintaining that data engineering is a key component of the work. You will contribute to and maintain critical data pipelines and data products, helping to establish patterns and standards that enable the team to scale its impact. WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON Some example projects include: * Designing and operating data pipelines that ingest, clean, enrich, and model complex datasets for investigative reporting. * Building resilient, observable data workflows to support high-traffic and time-critical newsroom events such as elections or major economic announcements. * Developing shared data infrastructure and tooling that turns one-off investigations into reusable capabilities for the wider newsroom. * Working with unstructured and semi-structured data sources (documents, filings, scraped content, APIs) to create high-quality, queryable datasets. * Collaborating with journalists, product managers, and engineers to translate editorial questions into scalable data solutions. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES * Design, build, and maintain scalable and resilient backend services, APIs, and infrastructure. * Ensure high standards of software quality through testing, documentation, observability, and security across all systems. * Design, build, and maintain scalable, reliable data pipelines and datasets in a cloud environment. * Work across OLTP and OLAP data stores to support both application-driven and analytical use cases. * Partner closely with journalists and other technical colleagues to shape data solutions that directly support storytelling. * Lead by example in engineering best practices, including code review, documentation, and pragmatic architectural decision-making. * Support and mentor more junior engineers through pairing, feedback, and knowledge sharing. * Identify areas where AI and new technologies can help in the newsroom and be able to propose ideas. * Actively participate in the process of requirements gathering and have the desire to have regular catch-ups with editors and journalists if that’s needed. ABOUT YOU We’re looking for someone curious, pragmatic, and motivated by impact. You enjoy working with messy real-world data, care deeply about reliability and clarity, and are comfortable operating in an environment where priorities can shift quickly around editorial deadlines. ESSENTIAL SKILLS * Strong experience as a backend engineer designing and building production-grade distributed systems and APIs in a cloud environment. * Excellent Python skills for developing backend services, system integration, and data processing. * Solid experience as a data engineer with a vital skill set in maintaining production data pipelines and using workflow orchestration tools like Apache Airflow. * Experience working with cloud platforms, particularly AWS. * Familiarity with modern engineering practices including version control, CI/CD, and automated testing. * The ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. * Interest in exploring new technologies and approaches related to AI and Agentic AI. * An interest in journalism, investigations, or using data to answer real-world questions. * Data Science (DS) experience or education is highly valuable for this role, as we leverage AI heavily for many of our use cases. DESIRABLE SKILLS * Strong SQL skills and experience designing and working with relational and analytical databases. * Experience with databases such as BigQuery, Redshift, PostgreSQL, SingleStore, or MongoDB. * Experience working with unstructured or semi-structured data at scale. * A solid understanding of data modelling, data architecture, and trade-offs between different storage and processing approaches. * Comfort contributing to backend software engineering tasks beyond pure data pipelines. * Exposure to building internal tools or lightweight user-facing applications. * Experience with building simple user interfaces or/and the desire to do so (e.g., using frameworks like Streamlit). CHARACTERISTICS WE VALUE * Inquisitive and analytical, with strong problem-solving skills. * Pragmatic and delivery-focused, able to balance technical quality with newsroom deadlines. * Collaborative and generous with your knowledge. * Comfortable working with ambiguity and evolving requirements. * A systems-level thinker who can see how individual pipelines and tools fit into a broader platform. * Motivated by learning and continuous improvement. * A collaborative team member who thrives in cross-functional environments and values collective success. OUR TECHNOLOGY We don’t expect you to be an expert in everything. Our current stack includes: * Languages: Python, SQL * Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS * Data Pipelines & Orchestration: Apache Airflow, AWS ECS * Databases: BigQuery, Redshift, PostgreSQL, SingleStore, MongoDB * Version Control & CI/CD: GitHub, CircleCI * Frontend (small part of the role): Streamlit This is a unique opportunity to use your technical skills to contribute to data journalism. You’ll be making content for the FT’s readership, using data to make news accessible, understandable, and impactful. If this sounds like a role that aligns with your expertise and ambitions, we’d love to hear from you!   IN RETURN, WE CAN OFFER YOU * Annual bonus scheme * 25 days paid leave * 24/7 Employee Assistance Program * Life Insurance * Enhanced Parental Leave policy * Food Allowance * Multisport Card * Both in house and external training programs * Your own training dedicated budget (for conferences, courses etc.)   We currently operate a hybrid model which requires staff to work onsite 50% of the time, subject to role requirements & regular review. While flexible working requests will be considered, not all patterns are suitable for all roles. We believe this balanced approach supports flexibility and protects our culture, making collaboration and communication easier, building stronger relationships and team cohesion, and supporting peer learning.  We reserve discretion on reasonable notice to change this approach either generally or for specific individuals or teams.    Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion  We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.   Accessibility We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email talent@ft.com and a member of our team will be happy to help.   Further information At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience, and qualifications. Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all. Please beware of fraudulent job postings and offers claiming to be from the Financial Times. All legitimate opportunities will direct you to apply through the official Financial Times careers site, and the FT will never ask for financial information, payments, or referrals to third parties during the hiring process. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a job posting or suspect any scam activity, please contact talent@ft.com.  Interested in the FT but don’t see the right role yet? Join our Talent Community to receive exclusive updates, featured jobs, and insights into working at the FT. #LI-MG1

Payhawk

Company Mission Payhawk is a leading global spend management solution for scaling businesses. Headquartered in London and combining company cards, reimbursable expenses and accounts payable into a single product; its future-facing technology enables finance teams to control and automate company spending at scale. The Payhawk customer base includes fast-growing and mature multinational companies in 32 countries including LuxAir and Wagestream. With offices in New York, London, Berlin, Munich , Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Vilnius and Sofia; Payhawk is backed by renowned investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greenoaks, QED Investors, Bek Ventures and Eleven Ventures. Our values include supporting flat hierarchies, taking ownership and responsibility, seeking and providing feedback, managing constructive critique, and speaking our minds. We understand that the best ideas don’t all come from the same place, so we encourage diversity and inclusion in all areas of our work. The future of fintech is about more than money, and we believe in work-life balance, continual learning, and empowered teams. We’re also on a journey to measure and improve our environmental and social impact. From virtual cards to digital subscriptions, our software and automation help take paper out of the equation for our customers, too. We’re changing the world of payments, and we’re looking for an exceptional team to help us.    About the Role To achieve our visionary goals, we are scaling up our robust engineering team and looking for a Full Stack Software Engineer to meet the compelling challenges we face. Our product consists of many services that are not limited to a single technology so it’s important that you are technology agnostic and eager to learn new stuff. You’ll be responsible for delivering entire, highly complex features to production. As part of a team of talented and highly experienced individuals, you’ll have the opportunity to shape everything. Our goal is to produce the best solution for our customers. Being part of the Payhawk team means that you’ll be developing a world-class product in the fast-growing fintech industry. We deliver an exceptional solution, and to continue doing so, we seek out the top 1% engineering talent.  Responsibilities * Lead the build of new product features and maintain existing ones by driving impactful engineering initiatives and owning end-to-end delivery. * Participate in the full software development lifecycle, including frontend, backend, testing, deployment, and LLM-based functionalities where applicable, while contributing to the architecture and proposing scalable, sustainable solutions. * Collaborate with product managers and designers to capture requirements and gain a strong business perspective on the features being implemented. * Break down complex, ambiguous problems into well-scoped and clearly defined tasks, ensuring alignment with product and technical goals. * Write scalable, high-performance, and maintainable code, ensuring testability, coverage, continuous integration, and backward compatibility. * Own feature delivery from discovery through deployment and monitoring, proactively addressing blockers and risks with minimal supervision. * Mentor and support other engineers through knowledge sharing, constructive feedback, and code reviews. * Collaborate across teams to remove dependencies, foster alignment, and ensure the team’s work fits into the broader technical direction. Requirements * Advanced programming experience and superior knowledge of programming languages and technologies: Node.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Docker, Google Cloud, React, React Native, Apache Kafka. * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (or related field). * 6+ years of relevant work experience. * Experience with agile processes, continuous delivery, and continuous integration. * Ability to multitask, organize, and prioritize work. * Exceptional integrity and work ethic. * Nice to have: Experience working with LLMs, AI-driven architectures, and autonomous agents, including vector databases, embedding models, and MLOps practices.   Company Benefits * Competitive compensation package based on experience * 30 days holiday paid leave * One week exchange policy to another Payhawk office (London, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam and Vilnius) * Flexible working hours and opportunity to work from home  * Regular team-wide events * Additional medical care  * MultiSport card fully funded by us * Company office massages * Personal assistant service * Opportunity to use the Payhawk product (that is, essentially, built by you)

Payhawk

Company Mission Payhawk is a leading global spend management solution for scaling businesses. Headquartered in London and combining company cards, reimbursable expenses and accounts payable into a single product; its future-facing technology enables finance teams to control and automate company spending at scale. The Payhawk customer base includes fast-growing and mature multinational companies in 32 countries including LuxAir and Wagestream. With offices in New York, London, Berlin, Munich , Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Vilnius and Sofia; Payhawk is backed by renowned investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greenoaks, QED Investors, Bek Ventures and Eleven Ventures. Our values include supporting flat hierarchies, taking ownership and responsibility, seeking and providing feedback, managing constructive critique, and speaking our minds. We understand that the best ideas don’t all come from the same place, so we encourage diversity and inclusion in all areas of our work. The future of fintech is about more than money, and we believe in work-life balance, continual learning, and empowered teams. We’re also on a journey to measure and improve our environmental and social impact. From virtual cards to digital subscriptions, our software and automation help take paper out of the equation for our customers, too. We’re changing the world of payments, and we’re looking for an exceptional team to help us.    About the Role To achieve our visionary goals, we are scaling up our robust engineering team and looking for a Full Stack Software Engineer to meet the compelling challenges we face. Our product consists of many services that are not limited to a single technology so it’s important that you are technology agnostic and eager to learn new stuff. You’ll be responsible for delivering entire, highly complex features to production. As part of a team of talented and highly experienced individuals, you’ll have the opportunity to shape everything. Our goal is to produce the best solution for our customers.  Being part of the Payhawk team means that you’ll be developing a world-class product in the fast-growing fintech industry. We deliver an exceptional solution, and to continue doing so, we seek out the top 1% engineering talent. Responsibilities * Contribute to the implementation of new features and resolution of bugs in the domain area, ensuring high-quality, maintainable code that aligns with team standards. * Participate in the complete product development lifecycle, including planning, implementation, code reviews, testing, deployments, and post-release support. * Write modular, clean, and testable code that avoids language or structure-related mistakes. Apply appropriate testing strategies (unit, integration, e2e tests) to ensure strong coverage and reliability. * Take ownership of well-defined tasks, work autonomously, and proactively seek input when facing uncertainty, ensuring clarity on scope and edge cases before starting. * Collaborate effectively with product managers, designers, and engineers to understand problems, evaluate trade-offs, and deliver solutions that support business goals. * Review pull requests constructively, communicate clearly about your work, and proactively share updates, blockers, or risks. * Develop a strong understanding of the domain and broader system context to contribute to accurate estimations and high-quality delivery. Requirements * Advanced programming experience and superior knowledge of programming languages and technologies: Node.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Docker, Google Cloud, React, React Native, Apache Kafka. * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (or related field). * 3+ years of relevant work experience. * Experience with agile processes, continuous delivery, and continuous integration. * Ability to multitask, organize, and prioritize work. * Exceptional integrity and work ethic. * Nice to have: Experience working with LLMs, AI-driven architectures, and autonomous agents, including vector databases, embedding models, and MLOps practices. Company Benefits * Competitive compensation package based on experience * 30 days holiday paid leave * One week exchange policy to another Payhawk office (London, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam and Vilnius) * Flexible working hours and opportunity to work from home  * Regular team-wide events * Additional medical care  * MultiSport card fully funded by us * Company office massages * Personal assistant service * Opportunity to use the Payhawk product (that is, essentially, built by you)