Java Software Engineer

Java engineer, London.

You know that point in a job where you’re the one people come to, and you’re quietly running a chunk of the system… but the big decisions still get made three meetings above you?

This is the role that gets you out of that.

I’m helping a small fintech in London hire one of its first engineers. The founders came from Adyen. They’re building the infrastructure that lets payment providers offer financing to the merchants they already serve. Payment data in, smarter funding out. Real money, real merchants, real problems.

The stack is Java on GCP, with Docker and Postgres. That’s the lot. It’s boring on purpose. They add something new when a real problem needs it, and not because it trended on Hacker News.

You’d help decide what earns its place.

The work: you’d build alongside Ivan, a very strong engineer, and take on more of the product and architecture as you go. You’d look at a problem, suggest a sensible fix and see it through to production. There’s no 14-layer approval process.....

They also take AI seriously. You write a proper spec, use the tools, check what they produce and stay responsible for the output.

Probably you:

→ 5 years in, and trusted to own things

→ Can explain why you built it that way, not just that you did

→ Wants more say, more scope and more “this was my call”

→ Fine with three days a week in London, two at home

Probably not you:

→ Wants a big team, a big roadmap and a big stack to hide in

→ Needs a fully formed brief before writing a line

The numbers: £75–80k plus equity. It’s early stage, so expect early-stage energy and early-stage upside.

Financial services experience is nice but not required. Good judgement is.

If this sounds like the move you’ve been circling, drop me a message.