IPS is seeking an exceptional Principal Backend Engineer to architect and build our client's most complex, mission-critical systems. You’ll design and implement high-volume payment systems, lending infrastructure, data platforms, and APIs that process millions of financial transactions with extreme reliability. This role demands deep technical expertise, hands-on coding ability, and the architectural vision to build systems that scale through hypergrowth.

You’ll tackle our hardest technical challenges—from distributed system design to real-time data pipelines—writing exemplary code while making consequential architectural decisions. We need someone who can move fast, debug complex issues across the stack, and deliver rock-solid infrastructure that our entire platform depends on. If you’re energized by building scalable systems from the ground up and want to architect the technical foundation of a high-growth fintech company, this is the role for you.

Responsibilities: 

Set Technical Direction & Strategy

• Define the multi-year technical roadmap for backend systems, data infrastructure, and platform capabilities.
• Drive architectural decisions that balance innovation velocity with system reliability, security, and regulatory requirements
• Establish and evangelize engineering principles, design patterns, and best practices across the organization
• Partner with executive leadership to align technical strategy with business objectives

Architect Critical Systems

• Design complex, distributed systems that handle high-volume financial transactions with extreme reliability
• Create architectural blueprints for core platform capabilities, including payments, lending, identity, and fraud detection
• Own end-to-end data architecture supporting both operational workloads and advanced analytics/ML applications
• Design security and compliance architectures that meet standards for financial services
• Build real-time and batch data pipelines, ETL/ELT processes, and data governance frameworks for sensitive financial data

Build & Lead Through Code

• Write exemplary code in Kotlin and Spring Boot that sets the standard for quality and design
• Debug and resolve the most challenging technical issues across distributed systems
• Develop platform infrastructure, APIs, and foundational services that teams depend on
• Review and influence architecture proposals and technical designs across teams

Multiply Team Impact

• Drive consensus on contentious technical decisions through data-driven analysis and clear communication
• Establish standards for code quality, testing, documentation, and operational excellence

What They’re Looking For:

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with a proven track record of architecting and scaling complex distributed systems in production
• 5+ years designing systems at scale with demonstrated impact on technical strategy and engineering culture
• Deep expertise with Java/Kotlin, Spring Boot, (or deep expertise in an alternate stack and the willingness to mentor and lead the transition), PostgreSQL, and AWS cloud infrastructure
• Expert-level understanding of distributed systems concepts, event-driven architectures using Kafka, and containerization with Docker/Kubernetes
• Extensive experience with modern data infrastructure, including data warehousing, pipelines, and analytics platforms
• Strong understanding of security best practices in financial services
• Track record of driving technical vision and architectural decisions
• Experience establishing engineering standards and practices at technology companies
• Experience in fintech, payments, or regulated industries strongly preferred

What They Offer:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience, significant equity stake, and comprehensive benefits including 401(k); company-paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; flexible time off; and additional perks.

If you are interested in learning more, please apply here or email your resume directly to brie@integritypowersearch.com.