Summary
We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join a high-trust team focused on core platform capabilities for a prominent software product. You will design and build scalable backend services, manage complex data models and APIs, and contribute to the evolution of organizational structures and permissions systems. The team is primarily focused on backend development, working on new customer-facing features and modernizing existing foundations. The ideal candidate has strong experience in backend engineering, thrives in ambiguous environments, and has a product-minded approach. This role requires in-office collaboration two days a week.
Highlights
Join a high-trust, senior engineering team to build scalable platform capabilities. The role offers pre-IPO equity, 28 days of paid holiday, dedicated paid Impact Days, mental health support, generous family leave, sabbatical options, and 20 flexible remote days per year.
Description
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 Software Engineer - EO - Munich/London (d/f/m)
Location: Munich or London (2 days per week in the office)
The Role
We’re hiring a Senior Software Engineer to join our EO team at Personio.
This is a role that sits in a senior, high-trust engineering team working on core platform capabilities that power large parts of the Personio product.
EO sits at the intersection of platform and customer-facing product.
The systems built here are used by many other teams across Personio and directly impact how admins manage company structures, permissions, and employment-related data.
This role is primarily back-end focused, with a strong preference for engineers who are comfortable contributing to front-end work when needed (React).
You don’t need to be a classic full-stack engineer, but you should be happy operating across the stack where it makes sense.
What You’ll Be Working On
Over the next 6–12 months, the team will spend most of its time on new customer-facing feature development, with the remaining time focused on modernising and improving existing foundations.
What You’ll Work On
You’ll contribute to a set of initiatives centred on:
Evolving core platform capabilities that power how organisations are represented and managed in Personio (data models, APIs, and workflows)Building secure, scalable backend services that support complex permissioning, delegation, and governance needsImproving foundations and system quality (performance, observability, robustness, tech-debt reduction, and operational excellence)Designing for change at scale, including backward-compatible migrations, versioning strategies, and safe rollout patternsCross-team collaboration with multiple product and platform teams to ensure changes integrate cleanly and scale safely across the ecosystem
What You’ll Do
Design, build, and evolve scalable backend systems that are used across PersonioWork in ambiguous problem spaces, proactively identifying missing information and dependenciesBalance product thinking with technical excellence, shaping solutions rather than just executing ticketsCollaborate closely with Product and Design, while also managing a wide range of technical stakeholdersContribute to a senior-heavy team through code reviews, design discussions, and technical leadershipOccasionally contribute to front-end work where it unblocks delivery or improves outcomes
What We’re Looking For
Strong experience as a backend engineer working on production systemsComfort operating in ambiguous environments with changing prioritiesA product-minded approach to engineering and problem solvingAbility to communicate clearly with engineers, product managers, and teams across the organisationExperience with Java, Kotlin, or similar languages is helpful, but not essentialFront-end experience (React) is a strong plus, but not a hard requirement
Why Personio
Personio is an equal opportunities employer, committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone feels supported.
We value in-person collaboration while offering flexibility.
This role requires 2 days per week in your contracted office location, with the remaining days flexible.
You’ll also get 20 Flex Days per year to work remotely from other locations.
Our benefits include:
Competitive salary, benefits, and pre-IPO equity28 days paid holiday, plus additional days after 2 and 4 yearsOne fully paid Impact Day per yearGenerous family leave, mental health support, and sabbatical optionsRegular team events, office snacks, drinks, and weekly catered lunches