Software Engineering Team Lead

Who are Yapily

Yapily is on a mission to enable innovative companies to create better and fairer financial services for everyone, through the power of open banking.

Yapily is an open banking infrastructure platform solving a fundamental problem in financial services today: access. Historically, card networks have monopolised the global movement of money, and banks have monopolised the ownership of, and access to, financial data.

Yapily was founded to challenge these structures and create a global open economy that works for everyone. We exist behind the scenes, securely connecting companies - from growth to enterprise - to thousands of banks worldwide, enabling them to access data and initiate payments through the power of open banking.

What we’re looking for

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Technical Software Engineering Lead to drive the design, development, and delivery of our core microservices. This role requires a blend of hands-on technical excellence, strong architectural oversight, and effective people leadership to ensure the team delivers high-quality, scalable solutions aligned with product strategy. You will be responsible for driving an AI-native engineering culture, including the adoption of agentic coding workflows to improve developer velocity.

Learn more:

Requirements

Key Tasks …

• Own the Stack: Drive architectural decisions and set technical standards while maintaining deep, hands-on expertise in our stack: Java, Spring Boot, and Kubernetes (k8s).
• Design APIs: Champion an API-first mindset by designing, documenting, and ensuring the quality of robust, efficient HTTP/REST APIs for microservice communication (including using tools like OpenAPI/Swagger).
• Ensure System Health: Oversee and implement strategies for system scalability, resilience, and high availability, including ownership of monitoring, alerting, and performance optimization.
• Drive Delivery: Monitor team progress and ensure consistent deliverability and performance throughout agile sprints, proactively identifying and resolving technical impediments.
• Plan Strategically: Collaborate closely with the Product Manager on capacity planning, roadmap definition, and balancing new feature delivery against essential technical debt management.
• Guide Solutions: Guide the team in selecting appropriate technical solutions, evaluating new technologies, and resolving the most complex engineering challenges.
• Handle Ambiguity: Thrive in a fast-paced environment by proactively identifying and resolving ambiguities in technical requirements and product strategy.
• Lead High-Performing Teams: Foster a culture of excellence by managing team performance, defining and tracking key KPIs (e.g., cycle time, velocity, error rates), and driving continuous improvement to ensure high-impact delivery.

This list is not exhaustive, and there may be other tasks that we ask you to be involved in from time to time. Above all, you are flexible and want to add value wherever you can. You understand that in a start-up, priorities change and we all need to be adaptable. Not only will you be comfortable when asked to input and lead in other areas, but you’ll be comfortable being a self-starter and instigating changes yourself.

For your new role

• You are a proactive leader in monitoring and ensuring the team's consistent deliverability and performance, identifying and removing impediments quickly.
• You are a strategic partner, comfortable collaborating closely with the Product Manager on capacity planning and balancing technical needs with product timelines.
• You are passionate about coaching and mentoring individual contributors (ICs) within the team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.
• You are an effective delegator who can appropriately guide or delegate technical solutions and tasks across the team, ensuring accountability and skill development.
• You are an exceptional communicator, adept at articulating complex technical concepts clearly to engineers, product stakeholders, and non-technical audiences alike.
• You are a cross-functional focus point, thriving as the technical leader facilitating effective communication between your team and other engineering groups.

Benefits

OUR BENEFITS

• 25 days holiday a year (plus bank holidays) in the UK
• We also offer an additional holiday day after 1 year's service, up to the value of 5 days
• We’re serious about work/life balance and operate hybrid working, giving you the flexibility to work from home, working from our amazing office space or work abroad for up to 30 days per year ‘Nomad Working’
• Comprehensive Private Medical Insurance
• Company Pension Scheme
• Enhanced Paternity and Maternity leave
• £200 annual Learning and Personal Development budget
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Employee Referral Scheme which offers £1,000 per employee referral
• Monthly social budget
• Daily snacks provided in the office
• Dog friendly office

OUR VALUES

We obsess about quality

• Our customers have entrusted us with a critical function in a regulated industry…and we take that responsibility seriously. We always assume ownership and hold ourselves accountable.

We are curious

• Our innovation is powered by our collective growth mindset. We’re lifelong learners who challenge assumptions, experiment, and iterate.

We act with integrity

• We’re guided by our mission and earn and maintain trust by doing what’s right, even when it’s not easy.

We are do-ers

• We reject indifference and agility is our strength.
• We’re motivated by challenges, and biassed towards action.

We problem-solve together

• We’re diverse people in diverse places, and know the best solutions are born out of collaboration. We win, lose, and learn…together.