Lead Backend Engineer

Lead Backend Engineer

London - Hybrid (1x day per week)

Salary: Up to £100k DOE + Benefits

About Us

Our client is a Insurtech Unicorn looking to expand their engineering team. With the opportunity to work on existing products which have generated millions in revenue to something new changing the landscape of the insurance world, this is the perfect opportunity for a results driven and growth focussed Senior engineer looking to start an ambitious business.

The Role

We're seeking a Lead Backend Engineer to drive the architecture, development, and scaling of cloud-native microservices using Python-especially FastAPI. You'll lead a cross-functional team building resilient backend systems that support millions of users, with a direct impact on product and business outcomes.

This fast-paced role demands expertise in building scalable, secure services and guiding the evolution of our platform's microservices ecosystem.

What You'll Do

• Architect, build, and maintain scalable Python microservices deployed in cloud environments
• Lead architectural decisions focusing on performance, observability, fault tolerance, and scalability
• Own complex backend features end-to-end-design, implement, test, deploy, and monitor
• Mentor and guide engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and best practices
• Collaborate closely with Product, Design, and Engineering teams in an agile environment
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering standards, code quality, and team productivity
• Shape the platform's service-oriented architecture and infrastructure as we scale
• Stay ahead of industry trends and champion AI and automation tools to boost team efficiency

About You

• Proven leadership and hands-on experience building production-grade Python services with FastAPI, Flask, or Django REST Framework
• Deep understanding of microservices architecture, APIs, service discovery, and messaging patterns
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization (Docker; Kubernetes a plus)
• Strong software engineering fundamentals: clean code, testing, performance optimization, OOP, algorithms
• Familiar with SQL and NoSQL databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB) and CI/CD pipelines
• Comfortable in fast-changing environments with a strong sense of ownership and collaboration
• Growth mindset with a curiosity for AI-driven tooling and workflow enhancements

Benefits:

Private medical insurance, Company share options, Generous holiday allowance, Flexible hybrid working allowance.

We're an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.