Engineering Lead, Payments Platform

Airwallex1 months ago

Location

NL - Amsterdam

Type

Full Time

Level

Lead

Role

Engineering Manager

Posted

Jan 19, 2026

Full TimeLead

The role

Summary

Engineering Lead role at Airwallex's Amsterdam office, leading the Payments Platform team to build next-generation payment acceptance infrastructure. The role combines technical leadership in distributed systems and microservices architecture with people management responsibilities, requiring 8+ years of software engineering experience and payment systems expertise.

What you'll do

Team Leadership: Lead a team of engineers, set goals and development targets, provide feedback and create development plans for team members

Product Roadmap Planning: Work closely with product managers and key stakeholders to define product roadmap and prioritize projects

Microservices Development: Develop various REST services and integration components within a backend microservices architecture

Frontend Integration: Connect backend services with React frontend components for seamless user experience

Architecture Reviews: Conduct architectural reviews for current and upcoming solutions to ensure scalability and performance

Technical Debt Management: Address technical debt and enhance operational effectiveness including MTTD and MTTR improvements

Talent Development: Contribute to hiring, training, and development of engineers within the managed team

Payment Infrastructure: Build next-generation Payment Acceptance infrastructure with merchant needs as top priority

Partner Integration: Interact with partner engineering teams when required for seamless integration

Production Deployment: Ship incrementally to production with focus on reliability and performance

What we look for

Technical

Software Engineering Experience8+ years of software engineering experience with focus on low latency, distributed systems

Programming LanguagesStrong proficiency in Java or Kotlin, with experience in Spring/Spring Boot framework

API DevelopmentExtensive experience designing and building REST APIs for high-volume systems

Distributed SystemsExperience with high volume distributed systems and event streaming using Kafka

Data StorageExperience with distributed data storage systems like Cassandra, Hazelcast, or Oracle Coherence

Cloud PlatformsExperience with GCP or AWS including EC2, RDS, ELB, CloudFront services

ContainerizationHands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes for application deployment

Frontend TechnologiesWorking knowledge of JavaScript/TypeScript for full-stack development

Monitoring ToolsExperience with operational tooling including New Relic, StatsD, ELK, Datadog, Prometheus

Education

Computer Science FundamentalsStrong foundation in computer science principles and algorithms

Experience

Management ExperienceAt least one year of experience managing engineering teams

Payment SystemsPreferred experience in building payment gateway, acquiring platform, or issuing platform

Payment IntegrationExperience integrating Local Payment Methods (iDeal, Klarna, Trustly) or Cards (Visa, Mastercard)

Skills

Required skills

Java/KotlinPrimary backend development languages with Spring framework expertise

Distributed SystemsLow latency, high-volume distributed systems architecture and implementation

REST API DesignDesigning and building scalable REST APIs for microservices architecture

Team ManagementLeading and developing engineering teams with goal setting and performance management

MicroservicesBackend microservices architecture connecting with React frontend

Event StreamingApache Kafka for real-time event processing and data streaming

Cloud InfrastructureGCP or AWS services including compute, storage, and networking components

ContainerizationDocker and Kubernetes for application deployment and orchestration

MonitoringOperational tooling for system observability and performance monitoring

Nice to have

Payment SystemsExperience building payment gateways, acquiring platforms, or issuing platforms

Payment IntegrationIntegration with local payment methods and card networks like Visa/Mastercard

NoSQL DatabasesDistributed data storage systems like Cassandra, Hazelcast, Oracle Coherence

JavaScript/TypeScriptFrontend development capabilities for full-stack understanding

Compensation & benefits

Benefits

Global Team

Work with over 2,000 innovative professionals across 26 offices worldwide

High Growth Environment

Join a rapidly scaling fintech valued at US$8 billion with world-leading investors

Impactful Work

Build products that serve over 200,000 businesses globally including major brands

Career Growth

Accelerated learning opportunities and true ownership of products and initiatives

Hybrid Work

Flexible hybrid work arrangement based in Amsterdam office

Equal Opportunity

Inclusive workplace that values diversity and provides equal opportunities for all

Interview process

1
Application Review — Initial screening of resume and background focusing on payments experience and leadership skills
2
Phone/Video Screen — 30-45 minute conversation with hiring manager covering experience, motivation, and cultural fit
3
Technical Interview — System design discussion focusing on distributed systems, microservices architecture, and payment platform challenges
4
Leadership Interview — Behavioral interview assessing team management experience, conflict resolution, and engineering culture building
5
Final Interview — Meeting with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to assess strategic thinking and collaboration skills
6
Reference Check — Verification of previous experience and performance with former colleagues and managers