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Senior Software Engineer

About Tala


Tala is on a mission to unleash the economic power of the Global Majority – the 4 billion people overlooked by existing financial systems. With nearly half a billion dollars raised from equity and debt, we are serving millions of customers across three continents. Tala has been named by the Fortune Impact 20 list, CNBC’s Disruptor 50 five years in a row, CNBC’s World's Top Fintech Company, Forbes’ Fintech 50 list for eight years running, and Chief's The New Era of Leadership Award. We are expanding across product offerings, countries and crypto and are looking for people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and are passionate about our mission.


By creating a unique platform that enables lending and other financial services around the globe, people in emerging markets are able to start and expand small businesses, manage day-to-day needs, and pursue their financial goals with confidence. Currently, over nine million people across Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico, and India have used Tala products. Due to our global team, we have a remote-first approach, and also have offices in Santa Monica, CA (HQ); Nairobi, Kenya; Mexico City, Mexico; Manila, the Philippines; and Bangalore, India.


Most Talazens join us because they connect with our mission. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Tala, we’d love to hear from you!


The Role

The Senior Backend Engineer builds and extends Tala’s backend architecture to support new country launches, new products and features, and a fast-growing user base. As a technologist and a leader, the Senior Backend Engineer pushes the team towards building a highly available, scalable, reliable, fault-tolerant, and performant microservices platform. The Senior Backend Engineer follows and improves upon Tala’s engineering processes and standards while advancing Tala’s mission and business objectives


What You'll Do
  • Design and implement features as defined in the Product roadmap
  • Review design documents, perform code reviews and weigh in on implementation choices from other technical teams
  • Continually improve our codebase with clean and efficient code as well as solving problems using the most appropriate technology
  • Contribute to complete migration of legacy codebase to a microservices architecture
  • Contribute to the testing infrastructure to increase code coverage for backend modules
  • Collaborate and support with cross-functional teams (Product, Data, Credit, and Business Development) to ship scalable software solutions
  • Must have worked with event driven architectures and machine learning (ML) and/or AI solutions at scale


What You'll Need
  • 5+ years coding in one or more of the following functional programming languages: Scala, Go, Kotlin, Erlang, Haskel, Rust
  • Should have worked with event driven architectures and/or machine learning (ML) and/or AI solutions at scale
  • Strong Testing/TDD quality engineering practice
  • Developed and launched large scale consumer applications with the backend on Cloud infrastructure (AWS or Google Cloud) using microservices architecture paradigm
  • Expert knowledge in REST API design and development for mobile/web use


Our vision is to build a new financial ecosystem where everyone can participate on equal footing and access the tools they need to be financially healthy. We strongly believe that inclusion fosters innovation and we’re proud to have a diverse global team that represents a multitude of backgrounds, cultures, and experience. We hire talented people regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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CEO of Tala
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Shivani Siroya
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What You Should Know About Senior Software Engineer, Tala

At Tala, we're on an exciting journey, and we're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our dynamic team in Mexico City! Our mission is to unlock the economic potential of the Global Majority – that's about 4 billion people often overlooked by traditional financial systems. With significant funding under our belt and millions of users across countries like Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico, and India, we're making waves in the fintech sector and have received numerous accolades including spots on Fortune’s Impact 20 and Forbes’ Fintech 50 lists. As a Senior Backend Engineer at Tala, you'll play a pivotal role in building and enhancing our backend architecture, supporting new country launches and features necessary for our growing user base. You’ll get to design and implement exciting new features, perform thorough code reviews, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable solutions. If you're passionate about creating a financial ecosystem that empowers everyone, thrives in a remote-first culture, and loves tackling challenges, then Tala is the perfect place for you. We want individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit who are eager to innovate in the fast-paced world of fintech. Join us and help shape a future where everyone has equal access to financial health!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Senior Software Engineer Role at Tala
What responsibilities does a Senior Software Engineer have at Tala?

As a Senior Software Engineer at Tala, you will be responsible for building and extending Tala’s backend architecture, designing and implementing new features based on the product roadmap, and continually improving our codebase to ensure high availability and performance. Additionally, you'll perform code reviews, contribute to migrating our legacy code to microservices, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable software solutions.

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What qualifications do I need to apply for the Senior Software Engineer position at Tala?

To apply for the Senior Software Engineer position at Tala, you should have at least 5 years of coding experience in functional programming languages such as Scala, Go, or Kotlin, and a strong background in event-driven architectures and machine learning solutions. Experience with developing large-scale consumer applications on cloud infrastructure like AWS or Google Cloud is also required, alongside a solid understanding of REST API design.

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How does Tala ensure a positive work environment for remote Senior Software Engineers?

Tala maintains a remote-first approach, ensuring our Senior Software Engineers feel connected and supported regardless of their location. Our diverse team culture values contribution, innovation, and collaboration, allowing engineers to thrive while working on projects that have a real impact on users across the globe.

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What technologies will I work with as a Senior Software Engineer at Tala?

As a Senior Software Engineer at Tala, you'll work with a variety of technologies including cloud services like AWS or Google Cloud, functional programming languages like Scala, Kotlin, or Go, and microservices architecture. Also, experience with machine learning and AI solutions is beneficial as it's crucial for many of our projects.

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What growth opportunities are available for Senior Software Engineers at Tala?

Tala offers numerous growth opportunities for Senior Software Engineers, including the ability to lead projects, influence technical design decisions, and mentor less experienced team members. By aligning with our mission to create a new financial ecosystem, you can have a profound impact while furthering your career in a supportive and innovative environment.

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Common Interview Questions for Senior Software Engineer
Can you describe your experience with cloud infrastructure and microservices?

When answering this question, focus on specific projects or applications where you've utilized cloud infrastructure, mentioning the cloud platforms you've worked with like AWS or Google Cloud. Discuss how you implemented microservices architecture to enhance scalability and performance, providing tangible results.

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How do you approach code reviews and what do you look for?

In your response, emphasize the importance of code quality and collaboration. Detail your approach to code reviews – looking for adherence to coding standards, efficiency, and the potential for optimization. Mention how you balance providing constructive feedback while encouraging team members.

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What are the advantages of using event-driven architecture?

Explain how event-driven architecture allows for greater scalability and responsiveness in applications. Highlight scenarios where this architecture helped manage high user loads effectively or facilitated seamless integration of different services within your projects.

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Tell us about a challenging bug you fixed recently?

Discuss a specific bug you encountered, describe the troubleshooting steps you took, and the tools or methodologies you used to isolate and resolve the issue. Emphasize your analytical skills and persistence.

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How do you ensure your code is well-tested?

Describe your testing methodology, emphasizing Test-Driven Development (TDD) practices you follow. Provide examples of how having a robust suite of tests has improved code quality and reduced issues in deployed applications.

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Can you explain the importance of RESTful API design?

Discuss the principles of RESTful API design, such as statelessness, resource-based architecture, and the use of standard HTTP methods. Provide examples of APIs you've designed and how they contributed to efficient application performance.

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What strategies do you use to improve code efficiency?

Share strategies such as code refactoring, optimizing algorithms, and using appropriate data structures. Highlight specific examples where you improved the performance of applications significantly.

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How do you stay updated on the latest technologies in software engineering?

Mention methods such as following tech blogs, participating in online courses, attending relevant webinars, and being active in developer communities. Emphasize your commitment to continuous learning and adaptation.

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Describe your experience with machine learning and AI in your projects?

Talk about specific projects where you've implemented machine learning or AI solutions. Discuss the technologies and frameworks you used, as well as the impact these implementations had on the applications.

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What motivates you to work in the fintech industry?

Reflect your passion for leveraging technology to address financial inclusivity and how working at Tala aligns with your personal and professional goals. Share any personal experiences that deepen your connection to this mission.

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We’re committed to building a world where underserved people everywhere have financial access, choice, and control.

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Full-time, remote
DATE POSTED
March 17, 2025

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