Lead Software Engineer, Backend

About the role

You will design and maintain backend infrastructure for the Financial Services payment platform. This role involves managing high-scale systems that support millions of users across Southeast Asia while mentoring team members and driving technical strategy. You will be responsible for ensuring the reliability, scalability, and security of critical payment systems that power financial transactions. The position requires a deep understanding of backend architecture to support complex financial workflows and regulatory compliance. You will work closely with cross-functional partners to align technical solutions with business objectives and market demands. The role emphasizes continuous improvement of both the technical stack and engineering practices. You will play a key part in shaping the future of Grab's financial infrastructure through innovative and robust backend solutions. This position is pivotal in maintaining the trust and performance required for a leading digital ecosystem.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and manage reliable backend services and platform components while ensuring system resilience and scalability.
• Translate ambiguous business requirements into precise technical specifications and lead the architectural decision-making process from inception to implementation.
• Enforce uncompromising engineering standards through rigorous code reviews, comprehensive testing strategies, and continuous performance monitoring.
• Collaborate seamlessly with mobile, web, data, and infrastructure departments to dissect and resolve intricate system-wide challenges.
• Manage end-to-end system health, conduct detailed root cause analysis, and orchestrate effective incident responses under high-pressure scenarios.
• Participate actively in on-call rotations to guarantee maximum service uptime and rapid response to production issues at any time.
• Provide hands-on technical mentorship and coaching to junior engineers, fostering a culture of learning and technical excellence.
• Optimize developer productivity by streamlining internal engineering processes, tooling, and development workflows for efficiency.
• Design and implement scalable data models and storage solutions utilizing SQL, NoSQL, and Redis to meet evolving business needs.
• Build and maintain event-driven architectures that enable real-time processing and seamless communication between microservices.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies and best practices to enhance the performance and maintainability of backend systems.
• Liaise with security and compliance teams to ensure all payment solutions adhere to industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Document system architectures and operational procedures to ensure knowledge continuity and facilitate smooth onboarding of new team members.
• Lead technical discussions during sprint planning, retrospectives, and cross-team alignment sessions to drive cohesive project outcomes.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or demonstrate equivalent practical experience through a robust portfolio and professional achievements.
• Possess a minimum of 6+ years of professional software engineering experience with a strong emphasis on backend production environments and high-availability systems.
• Demonstrate exceptional proficiency in Go or similar programming languages, with a proven track record of writing efficient and maintainable code.
• Show a strong grasp of fundamental computer science concepts including algorithms, data structures, distributed systems, and advanced concurrency models.
• Have substantial experience building, deploying, and operating distributed systems at scale, managing complex dependencies and workflows.
• Exhibit practical knowledge of relational SQL databases, NoSQL databases, Redis caching strategies, and the implementation of event-driven architectures.
• Possess the ability to debug intricate system issues, troubleshoot performance bottlenecks, and optimize system performance under heavy load.
• Communicate effectively in English with professional proficiency, both in written documentation and verbal collaboration across global teams.
• Have hands-on experience working within Agile team structures, actively participating in sprints, stand-ups, and iterative development cycles.
• Understand the principles of microservices architecture, containerization, and orchestration tools commonly used in cloud-native environments.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and infrastructure as code practices is essential for managing scalable deployments.
• Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to identifying potential risks and mitigating system vulnerabilities.
• Exhibit ownership and accountability for end-to-end feature delivery, collaborating closely with product managers and stakeholders.
• Commitment to maintaining high standards of code quality, documentation, and operational excellence in all engineering activities.

Nice to have

• Experience with financial services, payment processing, or fintech domains is highly valued for this role.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements specific to financial transactions in Southeast Asia.
• Knowledge of containerization technologies such as Docker and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes.
• Exposure to real-time data streaming platforms and message brokers used in large-scale systems.
• Understanding of database sharding, replication strategies, and high-availability clustering techniques.
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools to gain insights into system performance and user behavior.
• Previous involvement in on-call rotations and incident management processes in a production environment.

Practical notes

• Benefits include medical and term life insurance to support employee well-being and financial security.
• GrabFlex allows for a customizable benefits package, enabling personalization based on individual needs and preferences.
• Leave policies encompass parental leave, birthday leave, and volunteering leave to promote work-life balance and social responsibility.
• Access to the Grabber Assistance Programme provides confidential personal support for various life challenges.
• FlexWork arrangements are available, including differentiated working hours, to accommodate diverse schedules and productivity preferences.
• The role may require participation in on-call rotations and occasional travel within the region for collaboration or meetings.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in Jakarta, Indonesia, and comply with local regulations regarding employment and visa requirements if applicable.
• The position demands a high level of commitment to collaboration, continuous learning, and adherence to Grab's core values and operational excellence standards.