Staff Software Engineer, Scale

Airwallex5 days ago

Location

UK - London

Type

Full Time

Salary

GBP 120,000 – 180,000

Level

Staff

Role

Backend Engineer

Posted

Mar 9, 2026

Full TimeStaff

The role

Summary

Airwallex is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join their Scale team, building embedded finance infrastructure for major enterprise clients like Rippling and SHEIN. This role requires 8+ years of Java/Spring Boot experience and focuses on multi-tenant platform architecture, cross-domain product features, and solutions engineering that directly impacts million-dollar deals.

What you'll do

Embedded Finance Platform Development: Build and maintain multi-tenant infrastructure powering major enterprise clients like Rippling, Navan, Qantas, and SHEIN with enterprise-grade SLAs

Cross-Domain Product Features: Own complex features spanning business, regulatory, and technical domains including tax systems, compliance flows, and monetization tools

Solutions Architecture: Design technical integrations for enterprise prospects by translating business requirements into scalable technical solutions

System Architecture Design: Architect systems handling cross-data-center scenarios with high availability, low latency, and high throughput requirements

Multi-Team Leadership: Lead initiatives across Product, Design, Compliance, and Sales teams with measurable technical and business impact

Performance Optimization: Make strategic decisions balancing performance optimization versus development velocity based on business impact analysis

Enterprise Integration Support: Influence deal outcomes through architectural decisions enabling multi-million dollar contracts and competitive differentiation

What we look for

Technical

Java/Spring Boot Expertise8+ years of professional software engineering experience with Java and Spring Boot framework

System Design AbstractionProven ability to make appropriate abstraction decisions balancing flexibility and simplicity in system design

Scale Architecture ExperienceDesign systems for scale, maintainability, and production excellence in high-traffic environments

Cross-functional CommunicationDemonstrate clean communication skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders

Education

Computer Science or Related FieldBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

Continuous LearningDemonstrated commitment to staying current with modern software engineering practices and technologies

Experience

Multi-team Leadership8+ years leading multi-team initiatives with measurable technical or business impact

Cross-functional CollaborationExperience thriving in environments spanning Product, Design, Compliance, and Sales teams

Production System ManagementHands-on experience managing production systems with enterprise-grade availability requirements

Skills

Required skills

Java8+ years of professional experience with Java programming language

Spring BootExpert-level proficiency in Spring Boot framework for enterprise application development

System ArchitectureProven ability to design scalable, maintainable systems for production environments

Cross-functional CommunicationStrong communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Performance vs Velocity Trade-offsStrategic decision-making on optimization priorities based on business impact

Multi-team LeadershipExperience leading initiatives across multiple engineering and business teams

Nice to have

Fintech ExperienceBackground in financial technology, payments, or regulated industry environments

High-scale Performance TuningExperience with systems handling 100k+ QPS, large user bases, and strict latency SLAs

Multi-tenant SaaS ArchitecturePlatform architecture experience serving multiple enterprise clients

PostgreSQLAdvanced database design and optimization skills with PostgreSQL

RedisExperience with Redis for caching and session management in distributed systems

Apache KafkaStreaming platform experience for real-time data processing

Cloud PlatformsProficiency with AWS, GCP, or Azure for scalable infrastructure deployment

OAuth2.0Authentication and authorization framework implementation experience

API DesignRESTful API design and developer documentation creation

Cross-region DeploymentExperience with multi-region systems and data residency compliance

Solutions EngineeringCustomer-facing technical experience translating business needs to technical solutions

Compensation & benefits

Salary

GBP 120,000 – 180,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Participation

Share in company success through equity compensation as part of a US$8 billion valued fintech unicorn

Global Career Growth

Opportunities to work across 26 international offices and develop expertise beyond engineering

Technical Leadership Development

Career progression paths toward technical leadership, product roles, or entrepreneurship

World-Class Team

Collaborate with exceptional engineers, product thinkers, and designers across global offices

Meaningful Impact

Direct influence on financial services used by millions through infrastructure serving major enterprise clients

Regulatory Domain Expertise

Develop specialized knowledge in financial regulation, compliance, and cross-border payments

Enterprise Sales Exposure

Gain experience influencing multi-million dollar deals through technical architecture decisions

Interview process

1
Initial Screen — Phone or video call with hiring manager to discuss background, experience, and role alignment
2
Technical Deep Dive — System design interview focusing on multi-tenant architecture, scalability, and Java/Spring Boot expertise
3
Cross-functional Scenario — Case study demonstrating ability to work with Product, Compliance, and Sales teams on complex technical decisions
4
Architecture Review — Present and defend technical architecture decisions for enterprise-scale financial systems
5
Team Fit Interview — Meet with Scale team members to assess collaboration style and cultural alignment
6
Leadership Assessment — Discussion of multi-team leadership experience and approach to driving measurable impact
7
Final Round — Senior leadership meeting to discuss career goals, company vision alignment, and offer details