Senior Backend Python Engineer (Payroll Platform, Germany)

Location: Remote-first within Germany (co-working available) Type: Full-time or Freelance (conversion to full-time possible) Compensation: ~€80k–€90k salary + stock options (FT) or ~€100k/year budget (freelance)

About Us

We are working with an early-stage, globally distributed company on a mission to build a truly global payroll platform — something that doesn’t exist today. Our team spans Europe, the US, and the Middle East, and we combine deep payroll expertise with modern engineering practices. We believe in high ownership, integrity, and customer-centric engineering, where developers don’t just ship code but also ensure customer success.

The Role

We are looking for a Senior Python Backend Engineer based in Germany to play a pivotal role in building our German payroll platform and APIs within a global product vision. This role is best suited for someone who thrives in fast-moving environments, takes full ownership, and enjoys working both on core backend systems and, optionally, directly with customers post-sale to ensure seamless integrations.

What You’ll Do

• Design and extend APIs for the German payroll product.

• Build secure, scalable backend systems with reliability and CI/CD in mind.

• Collaborate closely with our Berlin-based payroll consultant and distributed engineering team (Germany, Poland, US).

• Represent us in industry forums, such as ITSG meetings, conducted in German.

• Ship production-grade code frequently in a modern cloud stack.

• (Optional) Work hands-on with customers post-sale to integrate solutions and resolve issues quickly.

• Mentor and support new team members as the company scales.

What We’re Looking For

Must-Have Skills

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.

• 3+ years of hands-on Python development.

• Proven backend/API development expertise.

• Strong SQL and relational database knowledge (Postgres preferred).

• Commercial production experience with complex systems: scalability, security, failure recovery, CI/CD, cloud deployment.

• Successful track record in remote, distributed teams.

• Fluent German and English.

• Payroll domain experience (Germany).

Nice-to-Have

• Frontend exposure.

• Experience with LangChain.

• Familiarity with ITSG or German payroll ecosystem.

• Experience with “large product” environments (multi-country, complex systems, sizable teams/codebases).

Soft Skills & Mindset

• Ownership mentality and initiative beyond assigned tasks.

• Customer-focused; open to engaging directly with clients.

• Integrity, authenticity, and clear communication.

• Flexibility for a startup context (occasional extended hours when needed).

Why Join Us?

• High-impact mission: Shape a unique global payroll platform with real-world impact.

• Direct product and customer impact: Engineers engage directly with customers to ensure success.

• Modern tech environment: Cloud-first, CI/CD, API-driven development, and pragmatic AI adoption.

• Growth & equity: Stock options for full-time hires; meaningful upside in a fast-growing company.

• Culture & team: Compact, high-caliber team where your voice matters.

Interview Process

• Single interview (45–60 min): Mix of technical and cultural assessment with both co-founders and one engineer.

• Reference checks before offer.

• Scheduling typically late afternoon CET/CEST (~17:00), aligning with US mornings.

✅ Exclusion Criteria:

• Not based in Germany.

• Insufficient German fluency.

• Purely consulting/pre-sales profiles without strong backend engineering depth.

• No recent commercial/production experience.

• Rigid 9-to-5 only availability.