Backend Engineer

**Fence** Backend Engineer; EUR 60-80k (flexible for right candidates) + up to 30% bonus + stock options; Europe preferred, Madrid most preferred, hybrid preferred

**About Company** We are a team of business-driven builders with prior experience in building tech (on-chain and off-chain), on a mission to construct internet-native debt capital markets. To put it in simple terms, we are making debt global, efficient, and programmable. As the first step towards our vision, we are developing a debt facility management platform that automates asset-backed debt facility operations. Our product is already live with clients such as Payflow’s €20 million debt facility with BBVA, as well as other fintech platforms in the BNPL, trade finance, real estate, ISAs, and consumer loan segments. From a tech perspective, we digitise credit agreements, integrate dynamic data sources, and design pioneering Automated Bank Accounts. We leverage blockchain smart contracts in our backend to automate capital and asset flows according to legal documentation. Our unique approach provides the benefits of smart contracts while avoiding blockchain complexity. So far, we’ve slashed operational costs by 80% and reduced cost of debt by up to 30%. Learn more about our product here. But we're not just building software; we're crafting the toolkit for the future of debt. Top-tier capital providers and asset originators’ eyes are on us as they await for the next leap forward. With our smart contract infrastructure, we're making complex legal compliance not just simple, but automatic—combining the reliability of traditional contracts with the agility of blockchain technology, without the complexity. Backed by some of Europe's premier VCs and business angels, we have the resources and the runway to bring our bold vision to life. Now, we need you—brilliant minds ready to challenge the status quo and build something truly transformative.

Resources to share with candidates: - -

**Responsibilities** - Architect, develop, and optimise a cutting-edge backend infrastructure that scales effortlessly as we grow. - Partner with the CTO to craft and execute a strategic technical roadmap, shaping the foundation of our architectural vision. - Take end-to-end ownership of backend systems, from ideation to launch, ensuring the smooth delivery and ongoing maintenance of key product features. - Implement modern web development best practices, using cutting-edge technologies to ensure a clean, maintainable, scalable codebase with strong emphasis on architectural design, separation of concerns, and clear technical communication. - Drive innovation, constantly exploring new frameworks, tools, and methodologies to improve the speed and quality of development. - Encode complex financial rules (e.g., covenants, eligibility criteria, waterfalls) into reliable systems, and build institution-grade APIs that support real-time data and capital operations - Implement smart contract execution tied to cash movement, ensuring accurate, automated flows aligned with legal and financial logic

**Required Skills**

A. 7+ years of experience in software development, with a strong emphasis on backend systems. B. Provable strong Python development skills including experience with modern tools and frameworks such as Typing, Pydantic, FastAPI, etc., and demonstrated ability to structure scalable, maintainable codebases with clear separation of concerns. C. Demonstrated experience in designing data models and working with both SQL and NoSQL databases, with a focus on performance optimisation, scalability, and strong architectural patterns including layer segregation between business logic and infrastructure. D. Knowledge and established experience with AWS core services. E. Strong ability to articulate technical decisions and trade-offs clearly and confidently, especially under pressure. F. Demonstrated deep alignment with Fence’s mission and product vision, with motivation rooted in the specific problems Fence is solving. G. Fluency in English sufficient for clear communication in technical interviews and cross-functional collaboration.

**Bonus Skills** - Knowledge with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using AWS CDK is a plus but not required. Experience with scalable software architecture and strong product-oriented engineering mindset is highly valued. - Experience with EVM Blockchain and Smart Contracts development is a plus but not required.

**Logistical Info** - **Location: **Europe preferred, Madrid most preferred, hybrid preferred. Candidates must be based in Europe or willing to relocate. - **Compensation: **EUR 60-80k (flexible for right candidates) + up to 30% bonus + stock options - Number of openings: 2 - **Other:** We are 13 people in the team (2 more incoming): 3 Growth (Marketing + Sales + Strategy) led by Juan (co-founder, CEO); 4 Operations (Onboarding + Customer Success + Customer Support) led by Nacho (co-founder, COO); 7 Product Engineering (Data + Product + Engineering): 1 product & ops (Toni), 1 head of data (Pablo), 3 sr backend (Alberto, Miguel & Carlos), 1 sr full-stack (Álvaro), 1 jr full-stack (Youssef). Frontend has been done through freelance work until recently. Setup: hybrid (4 are mostly remote).

**Green flags:** - Preference for senior engineers - Self-initiated projects or internal tools actually shipped — not just started. - Uses AI agentically: writes specs before code, directs models with intent, reviews output critically. Autocomplete is not the bar. - Right-sizes solutions and can articulate why a simpler approach was the right call.

**Red flags:** - Candidates from consulting, advisory, or agency backgrounds without substantial ownership of product features at an early-stage startup. - Candidates who do not actively use AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, or equivalent) as a core part of their workflow — AI-native development is part of how Fence works. - Candidates with concurrent employment, active side projects, or other companies — full, undivided focus on Fence is required. - Candidates with under 5 years of total software engineering experience. - Candidates who approach problems purely technically without articulating business context, trade-offs, and product impact — Fence needs engineers who think product-first, not just code-first. - Candidates who do not thrive in async-first, written-first environments — precise, proactive written communication is core to how the team works - Candidates with only generic fintech interest — no specific, demonstrated curiosity about asset-backed finance, programmable debt, or institutional capital markets. - Unstable trajectory over the last 4–5 years (multiple short tenures and/or gaps) without clear justification. - Insufficient English fluency for an async, written-first team.

**Interview Process** 1. 30-45 mins: 2x Culture & Fit interview with 1 engineer each (2 engineers in total) 2. Take home exercise (2-4 hours max); Evaluates architectural reasoning, not just working code. Candidates expected to articulate design decisions, tradeoffs, and how system would scale. 3. 2x Tech interview with 2 engineers each (4 engineers in total)