Senior Software Engineer
Job description
This role is for a Senior Software Engineer joining Red Badger's digital product delivery function. You will own the full journey from intake to shipping, shaping solutions for financial services while guiding teammates through Kotlin backend and JavaScript frontend work. The position balances immediate delivery with long term quality, bringing pragmatism and craft to every contract. You will act as a hands on contributor while steering technical direction and ensuring that solutions align with client objectives. A core part of the role involves breaking down ambiguous requirements and turning them into actionable, well defined deliverables. You will be expected to mentor peers, elevate code quality, and drive standards that make sustainable delivery possible.
About the team
Red Badger was founded by Dave, Cain, and Stu, who retain 100 percent ownership and bring considerable tech and consultancy experience. The company has been consistently profitable and has grown responsibly from the beginning. Red Badger is based in Old Street in the heart of tech city. The team actively participates in the local community, running meetups such as React London, hosting events for groups like Lua London and Ladies Who Code, and speaking at events including Digital Shoreditch and LNUG. The team is diverse, with members from 22 nationalities speaking 17 languages.
About the role
You will be a polyglot with extensive experience across a wide range of technologies and projects. You will relish tackling and solving tough problems, digging deeper into areas you already know while expanding your skills into different languages, technologies, and practices. You will design solutions and communicate them clearly to clients and teammates, ensuring the right outcomes are delivered in the right way. You will lead by example, writing code, inspiring peers, and educating clients. You are passionate about software craftsmanship and contribute to technical and non technical discussions that shape digital product delivery. You will take ownership of complex problems, applying judgment to make decisions that improve both the solution and the process. You will challenge assumptions and ask incisive questions to ensure that the delivered product truly meets the intended needs.
What you'll do
You will design robust flows for payments and related domains using Kotlin backend and JavaScript frontend. You will build production grade features while collaborating closely with clients to clarify scope and expectations. You will coordinate reviews with stakeholders to validate direction and refine solutions before integration. You will ship increments through disciplined workflows that respect quality, timelines, and evolving requirements. You will partner with product and delivery teams to embed practices that sustain velocity and clarity. You will support continuous improvement by experimenting with tooling, patterns, and team rituals. You will facilitate knowledge transfer across squads so that domain understanding grows and bus factors reduce. You will guide architectural decisions that balance tradeoffs, constraints, and long term maintainability. You will translate client language into technical structure, making sure that requirements are testable and traceable. You will contribute to delivery rituals that keep stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the contract lifecycle.
Requirements
You have solid fullstack experience across frontend and backend, working comfortably with Kotlin and JavaScript. You have handled financial services projects, with payments work being especially relevant to this engagement. You can articulate designs, communicate with clients, and translate complex problems into clear implementation plans. You work effectively in agile settings, managing multiple concerns while delivering tested increments on schedule. You are comfortable making decisions in the absence of complete information and documenting the rationale for future reference. You can read and write code that is clear, modular, and maintainable for teams with varying levels of experience. You understand the implications of technology choices and can discuss tradeoffs in terms of cost, quality, and delivery impact. You are able to collaborate with stakeholders at different levels of technical familiarity and maintain trust through transparent communication.
Nice to have
Experience contributing to lively tech communities, speaking at events, and hosting group sessions.
Skills & tools
Kotlin, JavaScript, React, and related ecosystem tools.
About the company
Red Badger helps teams build and deliver digital products with a practical, user focused mindset. The site shares guidance on structuring high performing product teams and making thoughtful technology choices.
Content covers day to day practices that support product clarity and delivery. The aim is to give teams reference material and advice they can apply while working on real digital products.
Practical notes
Location: UK
Engagement: 6 months, likely extendable; Start date: ASAP;
Compensation: 2 to 3 days per week in London.