Principal Engineer - Backend

About Us: 
  
At Ubank, we empower the digital generation to achieve financial success. Think of us as your daily money companion, offering a unified view of your finances with smart features and real-time insights. Save more, track spending, and achieve home ownership faster with Ubank.  
  
The Why:  

The Principal Engineer, Backend serves as the cross-cutting technical authority for backend engineering across ubank, where services are primarily built with Node.js and TypeScript, deployed as AWS Lambda functions and containerised workloads on EKS. This role owns API standards, serverless architecture patterns, observability frameworks, event-driven design, and backend testing strategy, operating through RFCs, ADRs, reference implementations, and design reviews. The Principal Engineer, Backend leads the backend chapter and partners with Platform Engineering and squad tech leads to drive consistency and operational maturity across Ubank engineering.

  
Key Responsibilities:  

• Define and maintain backend engineering standards covering service architecture, coding practices, and testing strategy across all feature squads. 
• Establish API architecture standards covering design conventions, versioning, error handling, and authentication schemes for consistent API surfaces.
• Design API lifecycle practices including deprecation policies, contract testing, and backward compatibility guidelines that reduce integration risk.
• Define serverless reference architectures on AWS Lambda covering function design, cold-start mitigation, and cost modelling for feature squads.
• Set event-driven architecture standards for schema design, versioning, idempotency, and dead-letter queue management across backend services.
• Design observability standards covering structured logging, distributed tracing, and dashboard conventions for consistent service visibility.
• Provide technical mentorship to senior and staff engineers through pairing, design reviews, and structured enablement that strengthens backend depth.

  
Your Experience:  

• 12+ years of backend engineering experience with strong depth in Node.js and TypeScript, including at least 5 years in a staff, or principal capacity providing cross-team technical leadership.
• Demonstrated deep expertise in API architecture and governance including standards definition, versioning strategies, and lifecycle management at enterprise scale.
• Demonstrated ability to define serverless architecture patterns on
  AWS Lambda, including cost modelling, cold-start mitigation, and
  function design guidance
• Proven experience leading a backend chapter or community of practice in a build-and-run model across multiple autonomous squads.

Why Ubank?  

• Innovation with impact: From meaningful work to amazing benefits, we equip you with the tools and support to drive real change - so your ideas don’t just stay ideas, they become impact. 
• Collaborative, supportive & fun: We believe innovation is a team sport. It comes from a special kind of culture that’s highly collaborative and gives people the support they need to thrive. 
• Build something great: Ubank is where ambition meets opportunity. We don’t just talk about change - we give you the tools, trust, and support to make it happen. 
• Freedom to be yourself: We celebrate individuality and give you the flexibility to work in ways that suit your style. Our hybrid working model lets you balance connection and autonomy. 
• Accelerate your Career: With clear paths for career development, your potential won’t just be recognised, it’ll be accelerated. 

  
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of our local area.   
  
This Sydney-based permanent role requires Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency.   
  
We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, and our Talent team is excited to connect with you.   
  
Apply now with your CV and explore this exciting opportunity! 
  
Please note, we’re not accepting unsolicited candidate submissions from recruitment agencies. We work with a dedicated panel of partners, so kindly ask agencies not to contact Ubank team members directly.