Staff Engineer (Payroll & Data) at Santander-backed global payments fintech

This is a job that Jill, our AI Recruiter, is recruiting for on behalf of one of our customers.

She will pick the best candidates from Jack's network.

The next step is to speak to Jack.

Job Title

Staff Engineer — Backend (Payroll & Data)

Salary

Not Disclosed

Company Description

Santander-backed global payments fintech with a recent £550M funding round

Job Description

You will architect and build a greenfield, AI-native global payroll engine from the ground up. This role involves designing complex data pipelines that normalize HRIS data into a proprietary calculation engine. You will bridge the gap between HR tech and fintech by connecting automated payroll logic to existing multi-currency payment rails.

Location

London, UK; Madrid, Spain; or Malaga, Spain

Why this role is remarkable

Founding-Level Impact: Build an AI-native payroll product from scratch while leveraging a pre-existing infrastructure that processes 1.9M annual payments across 130+ currencies. Massive Backing: Backed by Santander with a fresh £550M raise, providing the stability of a corporate leader with the creative freedom of a greenfield startup environment. Tech-Forward Stack: Direct a team of AI coding agents to 10x your output while owning the architecture in a modern Python, Node.js, and TypeScript environment.

What You Will Do

Architect Data Pipelines: Build robust systems to pull, normalize, and transpose data from various HRIS and HCM integrations into a centralized payroll calculator. Develop Calculation Engines: Design jurisdiction-specific logic to handle complex tax, benefits, and deductions, ensuring high-fidelity output for bank files and compliance reports. Orchestrate Workflows: Create end-to-end SaaS workflows from client onboarding and approval routing to the final execution of global payments via existing rails.

The ideal candidate

Industry Expertise: Proven experience building payroll engines or payment processing systems at tech-first companies like Deel, Papaya Global, or Remote. Technical Mastery: Staff-level proficiency in Python or Node.js with deep experience in data transformation, dbt, and architecting complex SaaS platforms. Full-Stack Capability: Strong backend focus but possessing enough frontend knowledge (Angular/TS) to direct junior engineers and ensure seamless product delivery.

Who are Jack & Jill?

Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.

And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.

Next steps

Step 1. Visit the job listing.

Step 2. Click 'Talk to Jack', or go straight there: https://www.jackandjill.ai/jobs/staff-engineer-payroll-and-data-at-santander-backed-global-payments-fintech-7bb493aa-e610-465a-8e57-9822d1b0c996?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=job_post&utm_campaign=featured_role_7bb493aa-e610-465a-8e57-9822d1b0c996

Step 3. Talk to Jack so he can understand your experience and ambitions.

Step 4. Jack will make sure Jill (the AI agent working for the company) considers you for this role.

Step 5. If Jill thinks you're a great fit and her client wants to meet you, they will make the introduction.

Step 6. If not, Jack will find you excellent alternatives. All for free.

We never post fake jobs

This isn't a trick. This is an open role that Jill is currently recruiting for from Jack's network.

Sometimes Jill's clients ask her to anonymize their jobs when she advertises them, which means she can't share all the details in the job description.

We appreciate this can make them look a bit suspect, but there isn't much we can do about it.

Give Jack a spin! You could land this role. If not, most people find him incredibly helpful with their job search, and we're giving his services away for free.