Python Software Engineer at Abound in London, England, United Kingdom

About Abound We’re redefining consumer lending in the UK, and beyond. Using advanced AI and Open Banking data, we make fair, affordable personal finance available to more people. While traditional lenders rely almost entirely on credit scores, we look at the full financial picture - how much you spend, and what you can afford to repay to build a deeper, more accurate understanding of each customer's unique financial situation. And we've shown it works at scale. We’ve issued over £1.3bn in loans directly to customers while delivering market-leading credit performance - for every 10 defaults the industry expects, we see only 3. We also reached profitability just 2.5 years after launch. Backed by £2bn+ of funding from top-tier investors including Citi, GSR Ventures, and Deutsche Bank, we’re recognised as one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintechs (Sifted, CNBC). Now, we’re expanding into new markets and product lines - and we’re looking for ambitious people who want to learn fast, take ownership, and grow with us. About the role We’re looking for a Software Engineer to help us build high-quality, reliable backend systems that accelerate our mission. This role sits within our mortgage engineering team. You’ll work across the backend stack, owning features end to end: from shaping product and technical requirements through implementation, launch, and iteration. This role is ideal for a hungry, ambitious engineer who wants to step up quickly; someone with strong engineering fundamentals, high ownership, and the drive to grow into a senior-level contributor. What you’ll be doing: - As a Software Engineer, you will: - Build and ship high-quality backend features using Python, Django, RESTful APIs, GraphQL, Pydantic, Postgres, and Google Cloud - Own backend work from concept through delivery, including technical design, implementation, testing, deployment, and iteration - Collaborate with internal teams and external engineering partners to deliver features with cross-team dependencies - Work closely with frontend to shape excellent user-facing and internal experiences - Bring strong technical judgment to the table, improving not just how systems work, but how they scale and evolve - Contribute to backend architecture, API design, data modelling, performance, reliability, security, and developer experience - Raise the standard of your own work and the work of those around you Who you are: - Strong hands-on experience building backend systems with Python - Practical experience working with Django - Experience designing or consuming RESTful APIs - Experience designing and exposing GraphQL APIs for frontend applications - Experience working with Postgres and relational data models - Familiarity with Pydantic, typed Python, or modern Python engineering practices - Some experience with cloud infrastructure, ideally Google Cloud, or a strong desire to learn - A good eye for clean architecture, API design, performance, reliability, and maintainability - A product-minded approach: you care about the “why” behind what you’re building - A strong sense of ownership and accountability - The ability to uncover unknowns, navigate ambiguity, and turn complex problems into clear, shippable solutions - Pride in your craft, clean code, thoughtful reviews, and helping others grow Ideally, you'll also have: - Experience with PDF generation or document rendering workflows - Experience in early-stage or fast-moving product teams - Familiarity with observability, monitoring, alerting, and infrastructure operations - A data-driven approach to decision-making - Openness to change, innovation, and the ways AI will reshape how products are built and used What makes someone successful in this role You don’t just “take tickets.” You think like a product builder. You’re hungry to learn, quick to take ownership, and motivated by the chance to grow fast. You notice when a system could be simpler, when an API could be clearer, or when a technical decision needs more care. You’re comfortable stepping into ambiguity, asking good questions, making decisions, and pushing work over the finish line. How we work at Abound To be successful here, our culture needs to energise you. Here is how we operate: - High Bar & Real Ownership: We are a high-performing team, and we hire people who raise the bar and take pride in great work. We own outcomes, not tasks. - We Work Hard: We care about impact, not face time. At key moments, we go the extra mile to deliver for customers and the business. - MVP & Iteration Culture: We ship fast, learn from real customers, and continuously improve our products and processes. - One Team Collaboration: We collaborate deeply across engineering, product, operations, and the wider business. - Thrive in Change: Priorities evolve as we learn what works. We value people who use good judgment, adapt quickly, and stay focused on outcomes. What we offer - Everyone owns a piece of the company - equity - Hybrid with 3 days a week in the office - 25 days’ holiday a year, plus 8 bank holidays - 2 paid volunteering days per year - One month paid sabbatical after 4 years - Employee loan - Free gym membership through WellHub - Team wellness budget to be active together - set up a yoga class, a tennis lesson or go bouldering