Lead Backend Engineer

You’re a strong backend engineer with hands-on experience building cloud-native microservices (Python preferred, but open to strong experience in other languages

You bring deep knowledge of programming fundamentals- data structures, algorithms, system design.

You’ve built systems at scale and understand distributed architectures, performance tuning and observability.

You lead by example: through mentoring, clear communication, and a collaborative mindset.

You’re tenacious and resourceful-you know how to find a way forward, even through ambiguity or tough technical challenges. You bring a calm, pragmatic mindset and consistently uncover solutions that balance speed, simplicity, and scalability.

You strive for simplicity. You build systems that are easy to understand, test, and maintain- avoiding unnecessary complexity.

You’re proactive by nature. When something isn’t working or could be improved, you step in- raising concerns early, engaging the right people, and helping the team align on a path forward. You don’t wait to be told there’s a problem- you anticipate, communicate, and act.

You’re comfortable engaging stakeholders beyond engineering and explaining technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders.

You understand trade-offs and apply judgement to choose the right approach for the problem.

You’re excited by the opportunity to shape a product that impacts thousands of drivers daily.

You will be someone who’s actively curious about how AI can enhance your work - keen to experiment, learn quickly, and apply tools that improve productivity, streamline tasks, or unlock new ways of thinking. Whether you’re already hands-on or fast building confidence, you take ownership of staying ahead and working smarter

Joining Zego is a career-defining move. People go further here, reaching their full potential to achieve extraordinary things.

We’re spread throughout the UK and Europe, and united by our drive to get things done. We’re proud of our company and our culture – a friendly and inclusive space where we can lift each other up and celebrate our wins every day.

Together, we’re setting the bar higher, delivering exceptional work that makes a difference. Our people are the most important part of our story, and everyone here plays a role. There’s loads of room to learn and grow, and you’ll get the freedom to steer your career wherever you want.

You’ll work alongside a talented group who embrace each other's differences and aren’t afraid of a challenge. We recognise our achievements, learn from our mistakes, and help each other to be the best we can be. Together, we’re making insurance matter.

We believe that teams work better when they have time to collaborate and space to get things done. We call it Zego Hybrid. While some of our team choose to come into our central London office once a week, we’re flexible - some people prefer being in once a month or even quarterly. It’s all about finding the right balance between collaborative face time and focused home-working, so we can achieve great results while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

We believe in the power of AI to meaningfully improve how we work - helping us move faster, think differently, and focus on what matters most. At Zego, we encourage people to stay curious and intentional about how AI is leveraged in their work and teams to drive practical impact every day. This is your chance to do the most meaningful work of your career - and we’ll provide you with the tools, support, and freedom to do it well.