Senior Software Engineer II | Lisbon

Description

Job Summary: Thought Machine is seeking a Senior Software Engineer II to provide senior technical leadership, take ownership of complex challenges, define technical direction, and develop large-scale cloud-native systems. Key Highlights: 1. Senior technical leadership in core banking and payments 2. Development of large-scale cloud-native systems 3. Mentoring and developing other engineers Thought Machine is recruiting a Senior Software Engineer II to join its Engineering team in Lisbon on a full-time, on-site basis. Thought Machine builds cloud-native core banking and payments technology to modernize the banking industry's technological infrastructure. The company has teams across multiple international cities and an Engineering Hub in Lisbon. The role involves senior technical leadership, end-to-end ownership of ambiguous and highly complex technical challenges, defining long-term technical direction, developing large-scale cloud-native systems, and collaborating with engineering, product, leadership, and external stakeholders. **Responsibilities:** Design and build solutions for highly complex technical problems; Take end-to-end ownership of ambiguous and highly complex technical challenges; Contribute to the long-term technical direction of platforms; Define and promote standards, engineering practices, and best practices across the company; Ensure security, performance, cost, reliability, maintainability, and scalability requirements; Promote adoption of new technologies—including AI tools—to increase coding productivity and quality; Track industry software trends and best practices; Introduce tools and processes that support the company’s technical roadmap; Ensure code quality and lead strategically impactful technical reviews; Investigate complex issues in non-local and production environments—including multiple services, clusters, and products; Improve operational support and production processes; Lead technical interviews to evaluate specialized and leadership profiles; Manage deliveries with impact across multiple units, teams, or departments; Contribute to product strategy, vision, and roadmap; Communicate with stakeholders at all levels—including senior leadership; Drive consensus on complex and evolving requirements; Mentor, inspire, and support the growth of other senior engineers. **Requirements:** Deep professional experience in modern backend languages—preferably Go or Python; Experience building large-scale cloud-native systems; Proven track record as a technical leader; Ability to solve complex, ill-defined problems; Experience making strategic-impact technical decisions; Extensive experience investigating issues across multiple environments, clusters, and products; Ability to improve operational and production support processes; Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders; Ability to drive organizational change and technical excellence; Ability to collaborate constructively, openly, and without attachment to the status quo; Experience mentoring, providing technical guidance, and developing other engineers; Strong sense of ownership, autonomy, and accountability in delivery. **Nice-to-Have:** Experience in fintech, banking, payments, or core banking; Experience with mission-critical, distributed, and highly scalable platforms; Experience in software architecture and defining technical standards; Experience in cloud environments and high-reliability systems; Interest in technology applied to financial industry modernization. **Benefits:** Annual salary between €100,000 and €120,000; Equity; Voluntary pension plan with up to 5% company contribution; Private health insurance; Comprehensive life insurance; 25 days of vacation plus public holidays; Two days per year for volunteering; Daily meal allowance; Access to learning materials and courses; Thought Machine-subsidized sports and hobby clubs; Up-to-date technology equipment; Snacks, smoothies, and beverages in the office; Joining an experienced and talented team; An environment that encourages learning, progression, and technical excellence. **Diversity and Inclusion:** Thought Machine values technical excellence and promotes equal opportunity in professional development. We encourage applications from people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities—including candidates with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or dyspraxia.