Back End Developer

Senior Backend Engineer (PHP / Python)

Location: UK (Hybrid)

Salary: £70,000 – £90,000 + Equity (typically 0.2%–0.4%)

Type: Full-time

About equipal

equipal is a UK fintech improving how businesses finance and manage equipment.

We have built an equipment finance platform that enables equipment vendors and business customers to complete financing and management workflows quickly and efficiently. We have onboarded more than 100 equipment vendors and trusted introducers - our routes to market - and we continue to expand our platform, customer base and lending capabilities.

The business recently secured a strategic partnership with a US credit fund managing over $1.5 billion of assets, providing substantial funding capacity as we enter the next phase of growth.

We are now looking for an experienced backend engineer to help scale our platform, expand our product offering and contribute to the evolution of our engineering organisation.

Our Stack

Our core platform is built on:

• PHP (Laravel)
• Python (FAST api)
• Vue.js
• All managed in AWS

We have recently introduced Python-based microservices for Credit and KYC workflows and expect Python to play an increasingly important role as the platform evolves.

We are pragmatic about technology choices and remain open to adopting the right tools where they create genuine value.

We actively embrace modern AI-assisted development tools including GitHub Copilot and LLM-based workflows. We expect engineers to use these tools thoughtfully to improve productivity, code quality and delivery speed.

How We Work

We are a lean, collaborative team focused on delivering high-quality software.

Our engineering practices include:

• Test-driven development
• Continuous integration
• Peer review
• Documentation as part of the development process

We work closely with Product and Business stakeholders and place a high value on clear communication, ownership and practical problem solving.

The Role

This is a senior engineering position with significant autonomy and responsibility.

You will work closely with our CTO, Product Manager and wider business team to design, build and improve key parts of the platform. You will be expected to contribute to architecture discussions, drive projects independently and help establish engineering best practices as the company grows.

This role is well suited to someone who enjoys working in an ambitious startup environment where they can make a visible impact.

For exceptional candidates with proven technical leadership experience, we are open to expanding the scope of the position into a Lead Developer or VP Engineering role with compensation and equity adjusted accordingly.

Requirements

Essential

• 5+ years of professional backend engineering experience
• Strong PHP experience, ideally with Laravel (or similar frameworks such as Symfony)
• Alternatively, significant Python experience with a willingness to work across both ecosystems and some understanding of PHP
• Experience building and maintaining production web applications
• Familiarity with modern software engineering practices including testing, CI/CD and code review
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of projects
• Comfortable working in a data-sensitive environment

Desirable

• Experience with Vue.js or modern JavaScript frameworks
• Experience with AWS infrastructure
• Experience building APIs and microservices
• Some mobile development experience (React Native or Flutter)
• Fintech, lending or financial services experience
• Either a history of working with leading tech companies or a degree from a Russell 24 university, or equivalent, overseas.

Working Arrangement

This is a hybrid role, ideally 2 days in, 3 days out. We strongly prefer candidates who can participate in regular in-person collaboration at one of our hubs in London, Birmingham or the Northeast. The exact attendance pattern can be agreed based on location and circumstances, but candidates should not apply if they seek a fully remote role.

Applicants must be based in the UK.

What We Offer

• £65,000–£90,000 salary depending on experience
• Equity participation (typically 0.2%–0.4%)
• Pension contribution
• Private medical insurance contribution
• Up to £2,500 annual home office and equipment allowance
• Up to £3,000 annual learning and development budget
• Up to 10% fully flexible. Work when you want and wherever in the world.
• 21 days annual leave plus public holidays
• Team events, socials and other company perks

Diversity & Inclusion

equipal is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage candidates from groups that have historically been underrepresented in finance and technology.