Senior Software Engineer (Backend)
Senior backend engineer on Navan's AI-first team in Berlin, architecting and scaling backend services for a next-generation corporate expense platform — including global commerce, payments, ledgers, policy automation, and accounting integrations. Core stack is Java/Spring Boot on AWS with microservices and AI-driven features.
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Berlin, Germany
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 4+ years
- Category
- Backend
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 4-6 years of experience building and scaling complex systems in fast-paced, high-growth, or large-scale environments (open to exceptional candidates with less experience)
- Proficiency in Java and Spring Boot, with solid understanding of JVM performance and optimization
- Proven experience leveraging AI models and AI-driven development to build intelligent, automated features
- Strong experience with distributed systems, microservices, and API design
- Practical expertise with AWS or other cloud platforms
- Hands-on experience developing and maintaining consumer-facing or core business products at scale
- Record of delivering production-quality, maintainable code, and supporting features post-release through monitoring and troubleshooting
- Able to collaborate effectively with global, cross-functional partners
- Commitment to engineering best practices in testing, documentation, scalability, and code quality
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
Nice to have
- Fintech or payments processing experience
- Comfort with financial or workflow-heavy domains: expenses, payments, ERP, tax, or similarly high-stakes data
Full description
Navan has transformed the corporate travel, payment, and expense landscape by consistently prioritizing user needs. We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer (Backend) for our AI-first engineering team to drive the architecture of a next-generation corporate expense management platform. In this role, you will scale backend systems powering global commerce, payments, issuing platforms, and payment/money ledgers, while building infrastructure for automated policy management, granular admin controls, and seamless accounting system integrations.
What You'll Do
- Build at Scale: Design and develop robust, high-performance features and core services that support the company's flagship product and serve a global customer base.
- Solve Complex Problems: Apply deep technical expertise and creativity to address large-scale engineering challenges, driving improvements in reliability, performance, and user experience.
- Deliver Customer-Facing Solutions: Take end-to-end ownership of features—from design and development to deployment and operational support—ensuring exceptional quality and value for users.
- Collaborate Across Teams: Work effectively as part of a global, cross-functional team, partnering with fellow engineers, product managers, designers, and business leaders to deliver impactful solutions and elevate team performance.
- Contribute to Engineering Culture: Champion best practices in code quality, scalability, documentation, monitoring, and testing, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Learn and Grow: Stay engaged with new technologies and industry trends, bringing a growth mindset and a passion for delivering elegant solutions to complex problems.
What We're Looking For
- 4-6 years of experience building and scaling complex systems in fast-paced, high-growth, or large-scale environments (open to exceptional candidates with less experience).
- Java & Spring Mastery: Proficiency in Java and Spring Boot, with a solid understanding of JVM performance and optimization.
- AI Integration: Proven experience leveraging AI models and AI-driven development to build intelligent, automated features and enhance engineering productivity.
- Systems Architecture: Strong experience with distributed systems, microservices, and API design, including practical expertise with AWS or other cloud platforms.
- Product Experience: Hands-on experience developing and maintaining consumer-facing or core business products at scale.
- Ownership Mentality: A record of delivering production-quality, maintainable code, and supporting features post-release through monitoring and troubleshooting.