Backend Engineer

Tala is a global financial infrastructure company seeking a Backend Engineer to join its Product Development team. This role involves designing, developing, and maintaining robust backend services, APIs, and data integration layers. The ideal candidate will write clean, efficient code, collaborate with cross-functional teams, enhance code quality through reviews, and optimize database schemas. The position offers significant opportunities for career advancement within a supportive team environment.

Must Have

• Design, develop, and maintain robust backend services, APIs, and data integration layers.
• Write clean, efficient, and easily maintainable code adhering to coding standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and implement scalable backend solutions.
• Participate in code reviews to enhance quality, performance, and security.
• Contribute to the design and optimization of database schemas and queries.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues quickly and effectively.
• 1+ year of hands-on experience in Java, Kotlin, or Scala with a web framework like Spring.
• Fundamental grasp of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) patterns and concepts.
• Experience with cloud-based application development and deployment (AWS and/or Google Cloud).
• Familiarity with relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Aurora) and SQL queries or ORMs like Hibernate.

Good to Have

• Exposure to containerization technologies, such as Docker or Kubernetes.

Perks & Benefits

• Significant opportunities for career advancement and professional development

About Tala

At Tala, we’re applying advanced technology and human creativity to solve what legacy institutions can’t or won't. We are a global financial infrastructure company on a mission to unleash the economic power of the global majority, recognizing that today’s financial infrastructure doesn’t work for most of the world’s population.

We’re the first and only platform to combine the intelligence of a credit bureau, the payments execution of a fintech, and the relationship expertise of a bank into one vertically integrated solution. Our platform is powered by an expansive moat of proprietary data and AI/ML decisioning technology, enabling us to deliver instant, reliable liquidity personalized to every customer's needs. Through our flagship credit app, we’ve disbursed over $7 billion in credit to more than 12 million customers across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. These customers have leveraged Tala products to start and expand small businesses, manage day-to-day needs, and pursue their financial goals.

Our pioneering work and proven impact have earned us consistent recognition, including being named to:

• CNBC’s Disruptor 50 for five years.
• CNBC’s World's Top Fintech Companies for two consecutive years.
• Forbes’ Fintech 50 list for nine consecutive years.

Visionary investors, persuaded by the economic power of the global majority, have committed half a billion dollars in equity and debt to Tala's success.

Given the global nature of our team, we operate on a remote-first approach with office hubs in Santa Monica, CA (HQ); Nairobi, Kenya; Mexico City, Mexico; Manila, the Philippines; and Bangalore, India.

Most Talazens join us because they connect with our mission. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Tala, we’d love to hear from you!

Tala is seeking a driven engineer to join our growing Product Development team. The ideal candidate will be adept at problem-solving, debugging, and dedicated to the continuous improvement of existing systems and processes.

This role is set within a supportive team environment with an excellent culture, offering significant opportunities for career advancement and professional development. We are committed to finding exceptional talent and are prepared to customize the role for the ideal candidate.

What You'll Do

• Design, develop, and maintain robust backend services, APIs, and data integration layers that power key product features.
• Write clean, efficient, and easily maintainable code, strictly adhering to established coding standards and best practices.
• Collaborate actively with cross-functional teams (including frontend engineers, product managers, and designers) to define and implement scalable backend solutions.
• Enhance overall code quality, performance, and security by participating in thorough code reviews.
• Contribute to the design and optimization of database schemas and queries to guarantee high performance and system reliability.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues quickly and effectively across both development and production environments.

What You'll Need

• 1+ year of hands-on experience in designing and developing applications using Java, Kotlin, or Scala. This includes exposure to a web framework like Spring.
• A fundamental grasp of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) patterns and concepts.
• Proven problem-solving abilities and a strong drive for independent learning and work.
• Familiarity with standard software engineering practices, including coding standards, source control management, and basic testing methodologies.
• Experience with cloud-based application development and deployment, particularly using AWS and/or Google Cloud.
• Exposure to containerization technologies, such as Docker or Kubernetes, is beneficial.
• Familiarity with relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Aurora) and a basic understanding of raw SQL queries or Object-Relational Mappers (ORMs) like Hibernate.

Our vision is to build a new financial ecosystem where everyone can participate on equal footing and access the tools they need to be financially healthy. We strongly believe that inclusion fosters innovation and we’re proud to have a diverse global team that represents a multitude of backgrounds, cultures, and experience. We hire talented people regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.