Senior Backend Engineer

Senior Backend Engineer Support key investment products, work with a focused team, and contribute to tools that help Kiwis grow their wealth. Join our team About the role Kernel is on a mission to help every Kiwi build long-term wealth through smart investing and financial education. As a Backend Engineer, you’ll play a critical role in making that mission a reality. You’ll design and develop the backend systems that power our digital platform, enabling seamless experiences across web and mobile for products like KiwiSaver, index funds and savings tools. This is a hands-on engineering role where you’ll work with modern technologies, including C#/.NET, AWS and serverless patterns, and have the chance to learn functional programming as we scale. You’ll collaborate in a small, high-impact team, solving complex technical challenges and shaping architecture that supports Kernel’s growth. Your work will directly influence how thousands of Kiwis invest and improve their financial literacy. About Kernel We're a 100% Kiwi owned and operated fintech on a mission to make wealth accessible for every Kiwi. Our investment platform takes the guesswork out of investing – offering KiwiSaver, Managed Funds, US shares & ETFs, and Smart Saver accounts, all in one place with some of the lowest fees in the market. We're at an exciting stage. Scaling fast, expanding our team of globally experienced financial professionals, and building the foundations for what's next. Our culture is collaborative, hands-on and ambitious – built on trust, innovation and saying it like it is. We value diverse perspectives, empower individuality, and believe the best ideas come from thinking together. Things move quickly here, and every person plays a key role in shaping our future. What you’ll do Build the backend that powers Kernel’s digital platform, helping Kiwis invest smarter and grow their wealth Design and maintain APIs that serve both web and mobile, creating a seamless experience for thousands of users Develop scalable, secure systems that support investment products like KiwiSaver, index funds and savings tools Apply best engineering practices, automated testing, continuous integration and rapid deployments, to deliver features that make financial literacy accessible Collaborate with a talented team to solve complex technical challenges and shape the architecture that will scale Kernel’s mission Work in an environment that values autonomy and impact, where your code directly contributes to a healthier financial future for New Zealand You’ll be great if you bring Strong proficiency in C#/.NET for building backend services and APIs Solid experience with AWS services such as Lambda, S3, SQS and SNS, and familiarity with serverless or cloud-native patterns Skills in DynamoDB and NoSQL data modelling, or a strong willingness to learn these patterns Interest in Functional Programming and its application in F# or functional C#, including concepts like pure functions and patterns such as Map, Bind, Option and Result Flexibility to work in a hybrid Agile environment using Scrum and Kanban approaches Bonus things you could bring along to the role Strong cloud experience applied to building stable backend systems, with solid capability across service deployment, API performance tuning, and secure environment management. Exposure to CI/CD pipeline design and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation Why You’ll Love it at Kernel Shape investment products in a way no other fintech in New Zealand is approaching, connecting everyday financial goals with intuitive and customer centric design. Contribute to a platform trusted by tens of thousands of Kiwis, helping them feel more confident and in control of their money. Join a team built on trust, collaboration, and flexibility, where feedback is constructive and everyone has a voice. Competitive compensation package Enjoy the best of both worlds with a flexible hybrid setup, connect in person while keeping the freedom to work from home a couple of days each week (around 3 days in the office). Health insurance, parental leave top-up, and professional development support Extra staff holidays, office snacks, coffee, and a dog-friendly environment Join our team Not sure you meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply. We value growth, impact, and mindset just as much as specific experience. If this opportunity sounds like you, send us your cover letter explaining why you’re excited about the role and working at Kernel, along with your CV. Visit our careers page for more on working at Kernel and follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram . to stay connected. Department Engineering Locations Auckland HQ Remote status Hybrid About Kernel Wealth Kernel is on a mission to help everyone become wealthier. We’re a platform offering a range of investment products and innovative tools and technology to grow wealth - with ease and all in one place. We’re passionate about leveraging technology and our financial expertise to create the best way to grow and manage money. Our trusted passive investment approach takes the guesswork out of creating a diversified portfolio while remaining cost-effective and accessible. We help busy and ambitious Kiwis including families, individuals, iwi groups and charitable trusts achieve their goals, gain financial stability and unlock more opportunities. Founded in 2019 Co-workers 41