Back End Engineer

Back End Engineer - New Apps Team

Hybrid in London, UK

We're looking for an early career Back End Engineer to join our New Apps Team
You'll shape the customer journey from the moment someone submits an application to the time they receive a loan offer. Your mission is to create a seamless experience that helps more businesses secure the funding they need by designing thoughtful solutions that, in turn, improve the customer experience across iwoca.

Imagine a world where every small business has the power to thrive. That's the world we're building at iwoca. Small businesses aren't just statistics – they're the heartbeat of our communities, the character of our high streets, and the engine of our economy. Since 2012, we've revolutionised how these businesses access finance, turning what was once a lengthy, frustrating process into something remarkable: funding that's fast, flexible, and actually works for modern businesses.

Our impact speaks for itself: we've provided billions in funding to over 150,000 businesses across Europe, making us one of the continent's leading fintech innovators. But we're just getting started. Our mission? To empower one million businesses with the financial tools they deserve.

We combine cutting-edge technology and data science with genuine human understanding to make finance feel less like a barrier and more like a superpower. Whether a business is managing cash flow or seizing unexpected opportunities, we ensure they get the funds they need – often within minutes.

The New Applications team optimises the customer journey, from the moment a customer arrives on our site until our systems have enough information to generate an offer. By identifying and implementing the most efficient ways to convert prospects into successful applicants, the team maximises the number of businesses that get our best possible offers. The team's remit:

• Optimise the customer journey: Make it easy for potential customers to go from just 'brand aware' to enthusiastic applicants.

• Strategise customer assessments: Identify how and when we run credit checks to maximise conversion rates.

• Promote data efficiency: Continually improve how iwoca collects information from both applicants and third-party sources, minimising how long customers wait for a decision.

As a backend engineer in the New Apps team, you'll build APIs, develop services for our customer application process, and improve the customers' decision process. You'll use data to guide improvements and measure impact. You'll work closely with product, design, and other iwoca teams to deliver high-quality, user-focused features.

Autonomy and growth

• Own features or services from idea to production, with guidance and support when needed.

• Choose sensible approaches to your own problems, balancing speed and quality.

• Work with your team towards a common goal, but you'll be trusted to work independently on your part of the problem.

Impact

• Improve systems critical to credit decisions, customer experience, and platform reliability.

• Optimise for outcomes: lower latency, more accurate models, higher adoption.

• Leave code, docs, and processes in better shape than you found them.

Purpose and product thinking

• Work on systems that genuinely help businesses get the funding they need.

• See the impact of your work quickly through real user feedback, and be guided by that feedback.

• Influence how we scale our platform and evolve our engineering culture.

The requirements
Essential:

• Proficiency in Python with a background in back-end engineering.

• Experience designing, building, and maintaining API endpoints.

• Experience with Django, PostgreSQL, and designing, building, and managing relational databases.

• Strong focus on code quality, testing, and performance.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into clear, effective technical solutions.

Bonus:

• Understanding of DevOps practices, including containerisation and CI/CD.

• A strong numerical background, with a degree in maths, physics, computer science, engineering, or relevant industry experience.

• Interest in and willingness to work across the full stack.

The salary

We expect to pay from £50,000 - £60,000 for this role. But, we're open-minded, so definitely include your salary goals with your application. We routinely benchmark salaries against market rates, and run quarterly salary and performance reviews.

The culture

At iwoca, we prioritise a culture of learning, growth, and support, and invest in the professional development of our team members. We value diversity in thought and skill, and encourage you to explore new areas of interest to help us improve our products and services.

The offices

We put a lot of effort into making iwoca a brilliant place to work:

• Offices in London, Leeds, Berlin, and Frankfurt with plenty of drinks and snacks.

• Events and clubs, like bingo, comedy nights, yoga classes, football, etc.

The benefits

• Flexible working.

• Medical insurance from Vitality, including discounted gym membership.

• A private GP service (separate from Vitality) for you, your partner, and your dependents.

• 25 days' holiday, an extra day off for your birthday, the option to buy or sell an additional five days of annual leave, and unlimited unpaid leave.

• A one-month, fully paid sabbatical after four years.

• Instant access to emotional and mental health support.

• 3% Pension contributions and share options.

• Generous parental leave and a nursery tax benefit scheme to help you save money.

• Cycle-to-work scheme and electric car scheme.

• Two company retreats a year, we've been to France, Italy, Spain, and further afield.

And to make sure we all keep learning, we offer:

• A learning and development budget for everyone.

• Company-wide talks with internal and external speakers.

• Access to learning platforms like Treehouse.