Senior Backend Software Engineer

Personio's intelligent HR platform helps small and medium-sized organizations unlock the power of people by making complicated, time-consuming tasks simple and efficient. Our team of 1,500 Personios is building user-friendly products that delight our 15,000+ customers and their 1.5 million employees. Ready to make an impact from day one? Senior Backend Engineer (L5) Payroll Foundations Team Location: Munich (preferred) or London The Role At Personio, we’re on a mission to help millions of people have a better work life. Our People Operating System empowers organisations across Europe to manage HR, payroll, and employee experience in one place. As a Senior Backend Engineer, you will join the Payroll Foundations team, the group responsible for the core systems that power Personio Payroll. These systems ensure employees are paid accurately, payroll processes run reliably, and critical payroll outputs such as payslips and reporting documents are generated at the right time. You will work on the backend infrastructure that sits at the heart of payroll processing, solving complex problems around correctness, reliability, and performance at scale. This role offers the opportunity to work on high-impact systems where quality, accuracy, and engineering excellence directly affect thousands of employees being paid correctly every month. What You’ll Do Build and maintain backend systems that power payroll processing pipelinesDesign and improve services responsible for payroll calculations and processing workflowsEnsure payroll data is processed accurately and reliably across the platformWork on systems responsible for generating payslips and payroll reporting outputsImprove reliability, performance, and maintainability of payroll backend servicesCollaborate with product managers and engineers across payroll teamsContribute to technical decisions and architectural improvements within the payroll domain What We’re Looking For Strong experience building backend systems in production environmentsExperience working with distributed systems or large-scale backend servicesStrong programming experience in languages such as Kotlin/Java, or similarExperience designing reliable services with high correctness requirementsAbility to work in a collaborative engineering environmentStrong problem-solving and debugging skillsAI Fluency: You have hands-on experience using AI to improve your workflow, and the sound judgment to know exactly when to rely on it and when to step in yourself. Nice to have: Experience in fintech, payroll, or other regulated domainsFamiliarity with systems where accuracy and compliance are critical Why Personio Personio is an equal opportunities employer, committed to building an inclusive and values-driven culture. This role requires 2 days per week in office. The remaining days can be worked from home, plus 20 Flex Days per year to work remotely from other locations. You’ll also benefit from: Competitive salary, benefits, and pre-IPO equity28 days paid holiday, plus extra days after 2 and 4 yearsOne fully paid Impact Day per yearFamily leave, mental health support, and sabbatical optionsRegular team events, office snacks, drinks, and weekly catered lunches