Principal Engineer - Backend

Are you looking for a super-challenging role designing backend systems that scale to 1000+ TPSs in one of India's fastest growing, profitable near-Unicorns with businesses spanning Lending, E-comm and UPI? Then this is the role for you.Client Company is a profitable, rapidly scaling unicorn which is extremely well capitalized. Client has a very strong moat in the consumer lending space on the back of which it is entering into additional large markets such as E-comm and UPI. Client company is now entering its next phase of growth from a fast-scaling startup to a robust, high-scale financial platform serving millions of users daily. You'll design systems built for 10x100x growth, make the key technical trade-off calls, and stay deeply hands-on. Beyond building, you'll mentor engineers and work directly with founders and product teams to translate business goals into scalable, reliable systems. This role is an opportunity to: Shape the next-generation architecture for a high-throughput fintech system Build systems designed to scale 10x100x from current volumes Solve real-world problems across performance, reliability, and financial-grade security Responsibilities Design and evolve the platform architecture to support 10x100x growth Own systems end-to-end from the first design decision to production impact Lead system design discussions and set the long-term technical direction for the platform Identify scale bottlenecks early and drive solutions Mentor and elevate engineers through design reviews, code quality, and architectural thinking Partner directly with founders and product teams to turn business priorities into scalable systems Operate with high ownership in a fast-paced environment where priorities evolve quickly Drive projects independently own timelines, coordinate with teams, and see delivery Conduct rigorous code reviews and champion engineering best practices across the team Proactively identify gaps in the system and come up with concrete approaches to address them Solve technical problems across the company not just confined to a single pod Challenge existing architecture with data and reasoning push back when its the right call, and drive adoption of better approaches.Requirements 7-12 years of experience in backend or platform engineering Strong computer science fundamentals (preferably from IIT, BITS, NITs) Strong proficiency in backend development (Node.js, Java, Go, or equivalent) Proven experience scaling systems through high-growth startup phases (1→10 or beyond) Track record of building and owning critical platforms or systems from scratch Exposure to high-volume transactional systems; fintech or lending is a strong plus Bias for action - moves fast, makes sound decisions, owns outcomes end-to-end Comfortable navigating ambiguity and evolving priorities in a startup environment Strong problem-solving skills ability to break down complex technical challenges and arrive at pragmatic, well-reasoned solutions Hands-on experience with platform engineering developer tooling, shared services, infrastructure abstractions, or internal platforms