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 growing team of 1,800+ Personios across Europe and the US are building user-friendly products that delight our 14,000+ customers and their 1.5 million employees. Ready to make an impact from day one?
Lead Backend Engineer - Time & Money Domain (Munich or Berlin) d/f/m
About Personio At Personio, we're building the leading all-in-one HR and payroll platform in Europe - and we're not slowing down. Our mission? To simplify people processes for small and mid-sized businesses, helping them focus on what really matters: their people.
The Role: Lead Backend Engineer - Time & Money Domain We're looking for a Lead Backend Engineer to join our Time & Money (T&M) domain - one of the most critical parts of Personio's product and strategy. You'll play a key role in shaping how we build and scale core HR workflows like time tracking, absences, attendances, and salaries - the backbone of any successful people strategy.
With over 60 engineers (and counting), our Time & Money domain is full of energy and ambition. Whether it's supporting our expansion into the mid-market, building solutions that handle complex labour law requirements across multiple countries, or crafting elegant user journeys around working models and shift planning - this is where the magic happens.
What You'll Do
- Architect & Build - Design robust, scalable systems that handle sensitive data and power mission-critical workflows (think time tracking, salary updates, absence calculations - the good stuff).
- Be Hands-On - Ship production-grade code in JVM-based languages (Kotlin, Java, Scala - take your pick) and drive high engineering standards.
- Collaborate Across Borders - Work with cross-functional teams across Munich, Berlin, and London. Expect daily chats with product managers, designers, and fellow engineers.
- Drive Performance - Own the backend performance of your domain. Tune queries, scale services, and keep the app fast and reliable.
- Shape the Future - Contribute to architectural decisions, lead technical initiatives, and mentor mid-level engineers. You're not just here to code - you're here to lead.
What We're Looking For
- 5+ years of backend engineering experience, ideally in JVM-based languages.
- A solid grip on distributed systems, backend architecture, and API design.
- Bonus points for experience in FinTech, HRTech, or any kind of compliance-heavy product domain.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills - someone who gets stuck in and just figures it out.
- Comfortable working with frontend engineers and contributing to full-stack features (especially handy if you're based in London).
Why Time & Money at Personio?
- You'll be at the heart of Personio's expansion into complex, international HR markets.
- Join a high-impact, high-visibility domain with loads of growth potential.
- Work with some of the sharpest minds across engineering, product, and design.
- Help build systems used by thousands of companies across Europe.
The Perks Bit
- Competitive comp, including salary, pre-IPO equity, and benefits.
- 28 days holiday (plus extra for tenure), two Impact Days per year to give back, and generous parental leave.
- Flexible hybrid model - about 50/50 split between home and office.
- Great team vibes, regular events, and a work culture where you'll actually enjoy turning up on a Monday.
The Interview Process
- Intro Chat with Talent team - 30 mins of getting to know you.
- Hiring Manager Screen - Dive into your experience and motivations (45 mins).
- Live Coding Challenge - Pair-programming style, no trick questions (60 mins).
- System Design Interview - Let's talk architecture and scale (60 mins).
- Culture Fit Interview - Meet Gabriel and chat values, leadership, and team dynamics.
Top Skills
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
We believe small and medium-sized organizations are the backbone of global economies, and their most valuable asset is the people they employ. But many of their HR teams are held back by complicated, time-consuming processes and admin. We’re changing that with our all-in-one HR solution that transforms the way millions of people experience work every day.
At the core of our people-focused product are the individuals who craft it: We proudly identify as Personios. As we build on our success as Europe’s leading HR platform for SMEs, we are looking for the brightest minds to bring their own innovative ideas to the table. When you join our team of 1800+ across Europe and the US, you’ll have an impact from day one – for our 15,000 customers and the 1.5 million employees we serve.
Why Work With Us
Personio is one of the most valuable tech startups in Europe, but we're just getting started with revolutionizing HR for the 1.7 million small and medium-sized organizations still stuck in the spreadsheet era. Now we need your experience scaling tech companies to take us to the next level.
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Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
