Engineering Lead (Ref: 197321)

Contact: erika.davies@forsythbarnes.com | +44 7463 560711 About Us Our client builds financial software that automates accounting, payroll, and tax workflows for small and medium-sized enterprises. The engineering team delivers scalable backend services, integrations with banking and tax platforms, and customer-facing interfaces that simplify complex regulatory processes. The organisation serves finance professionals and founders across Europe with a platform designed for operational reliability and regulatory accuracy. Job Description The Engineering Lead will define technical direction, lead architecture decisions, and deliver high-impact features across backend, frontend, and infrastructure domains. The role requires hands-on contribution, architectural ownership, and collaboration with product and executive leadership to translate business goals into robust software solutions. Success is measured by system reliability, delivery velocity, and the ability to ship maintainable, well-documented systems that reduce operational burden for customers. Key Responsibilities Own end-to-end architecture for critical platform components, from requirements to production deployment and observability.Implement and review complex features across backend services, integrations, and frontend interfaces.Drive technical roadmap priorities in partnership with product leaders and the CTO.Mentor senior engineers and shape engineering standards, code quality, and operational practices.Define infrastructure strategy including CI/CD, monitoring, and security posture.Lead incident response and post-incident reviews to strengthen platform resilience.Document design decisions and maintain clear technical specifications for team continuity.Engage with stakeholders to align technical trade-offs with business objectives. Requirements 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with substantial time in product-focused or startup environments.Proven background in system design, distributed services, or platform architecture.Practical proficiency in two or more languages such as Java/Kotlin, TypeScript, Python, or similar.Experience owning production systems end-to-end, including deployment, monitoring, and incident management.Track record of making architectural decisions that led to improved scalability or maintainability.Strong technical writing skills and experience producing design documents and runbooks.Experience mentoring senior engineers and establishing engineering practices.Comfort working in a high-ambiguity environment and prioritising effectively under constraints. Benefits Competitive salary with equity participation aligned to senior-level impact.Comprehensive health insurance and pension contributions consistent with German employment norms.Annual professional development allowance and dedicated learning budget.Flexible hybrid working model with primary presence expected in Berlin.Generous paid time off and parental leave policies beyond statutory minima.Modern hardware and allowance for home office setup.Relocation assistance package for international candidates.Regular team retreats and technical off-sites to support knowledge sharing and alignment. Other The role is based in Berlin and requires regular presence at the office to collaborate closely with the product and engineering leadership. Candidates must be eligible to work in Germany or willing to relocate with support. The organisation values practical engineering judgment, clear documentation, and a customer-centric approach to building financial systems.