Staff Engineer at Zola

Manchester, England, United Kingdom

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

FinTech, BankingIndustries

Requirements

Led large-scale technical initiatives across multiple teams or domains
Strong Kotlin or Java engineer with experience in modern backend systems
Worked with React or modern JS frameworks on customer-facing UIs
Love working across boundaries — connecting dots between teams, codebases, and roadmaps
Comfortable with ambiguity and thrive in fast-moving, scaling environments
Bring others with you — explaining technical ideas clearly to both engineers and non-engineers
Care about building inclusive teams, scalable systems, and great customer experiences

Responsibilities

Owning and evolving the technical vision for our Point-of-Sale systems
Working across teams to drive consistency, scalability and architectural alignment
Getting hands-on with code (Kotlin & React) when needed, and enabling others to thrive
Championing engineering best practices - from testing and CI/CD to observability and performance
Supporting engineers with mentorship, pairing and design guidance
Collaborating closely with product managers, designers and other engineering leads
Helping define standards for service architecture, frontend quality, and integration patterns
Shaping the technical bar and culture of our Manchester engineering hub

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

KotlinReactBackendFrontendSystem ArchitectureTechnical LeadershipMentoringScalabilityPoint of Sale

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary for this Staff Engineer position?

This information is not specified in the job description.

Is this role remote or does it require office attendance?

The role is hybrid, requiring at least 2 days a week in the Manchester office.

What technical skills are required for this Staff Engineer role?

The role involves hands-on work with backend Kotlin services and React frontends, along with a modern tech stack including Kafka, Kubernetes, Docker, AWS, and Aurora Postgres.

What is the work environment like at Zopa?

Zopa offers a product-focused environment where engineers own their work end-to-end, deploy frequently, and see real-world impact, with a supportive team in a new Manchester tech hub.

What makes a strong candidate for this Staff Engineer position?

Candidates who embrace unconventional challenges, think differently, drive outsized impact, and can provide hands-on technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural strategy will thrive.

Zola

Online wedding planning and registry platform

About Zola

Zola.com is an online platform designed for couples planning their weddings. It offers a variety of services including customizable wedding invitations, venue and vendor recommendations, and a gift registry that allows couples to manage gifts, experiences, and cash funds all in one place. The platform simplifies the wedding planning process by providing tools for managing guest lists, tracking RSVPs, and meal selections. Zola stands out from competitors by allowing couples to exchange gifts for credit before they are shipped, enhancing the gift-giving experience. The company generates revenue through commissions from vendors and venues booked through its platform, as well as from the sale of wedding-related products. Zola's goal is to provide a seamless and user-friendly experience for engaged couples, making wedding planning easier and more organized.

New York City, New YorkHeadquarters

2013Year Founded

$164.6MTotal Funding

SERIES_DCompany Stage

Consumer Software, Consumer GoodsIndustries

201-500Employees

Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Flexible Work Hours

Risks

Emerging platforms offering similar services at lower costs threaten Zola's market share.

Economic downturns may reduce spending on weddings, impacting Zola's revenue.

Expansion into baby registries may dilute Zola's brand focus on weddings.

Differentiation

Zola offers a unique AI tool to balance wedding planning decisions.

Zola's comprehensive platform includes customizable invitations and vendor recommendations.

Zola's guest list management tool streamlines RSVP tracking and meal selections.

Upsides

Zola's AI tool aligns with the trend of integrating AI in wedding planning.

The rise of micro-weddings creates demand for Zola's tailored services.

Zola's digital marketing can leverage increased social media use for wedding planning.

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