Engineering
Junior Backend Developer
The Role
We are seeking a Junior Backend Developer to join our engineering team and grow into a strong backend engineer within Diesta.
This role is suited to someone early in their career who wants to work close to experienced engineers, our Head of Engineering, and our CTO while learning how a real financial operations platform works in production.
You will help us build and improve backend services, internal AI-enabled tooling, tests, scripts, operational workflows, and small-to-medium product features. You will also be expected to use AI-assisted development tools thoughtfully, not as a shortcut, but as leverage for learning, delivery, debugging, and improving how the team works.
We are looking for someone who can bring energy, pace, and a modern way of working into the backend team.
Key Responsibilities
Backend Development: Support the design, development, and maintenance of backend services and APIs for Diesta’s payment operations platform, primarily using Node.js, TypeScript, and AWS.
Learning the Platform: Build a deep understanding of how Diesta works across payments, reconciliation, payouts, journals, reporting, integrations, and operational workflows.
AI-Assisted Engineering: Use AI development tools such as OpenAI Codex, Claude Code, or similar systems to help understand the codebase, generate implementation plans, build features, review changes, write tests, and improve productivity.
Internal Tooling: Help productionise and maintain internal tools, agent workflows, scripts, and prototypes that support the engineering team and wider business.
Bug Fixing and Reliability: Investigate and resolve bugs, alerts, and system issues, especially where they improve platform stability, observability, and operational confidence.
Feature Support: Contribute to small and medium-sized backend features, working with more senior engineers to understand requirements, implementation options, testing needs, and rollout risks.
Testing and Guardrails: Help build and maintain automated tests, local environment simulations, data seeds, and validation scripts that make it safer and faster to ship changes.
Code Quality: Write clean, maintainable, well-structured TypeScript code and participate in code reviews with a focus on learning, clarity, and reliability.
Documentation: Contribute to technical documentation so that engineers, agents, and future team members can understand the platform more easily.
Product Understanding: Go beyond completing tickets by asking why a feature matters, how it affects customers and operations, and what edge cases could break the intended workflow.
Collaboration: Work closely with backend developers, frontend developers, QA, DevOps, data engineers, product, operations, the Head of Engineering, and the CTO.
What We’re Looking For
Education: A degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related technical field is useful but not strictly required if you can demonstrate strong technical ability.
Technical Skills: Some experience with Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, APIs, Git, and backend development fundamentals.
AI-Native Mindset: Comfortable using AI tools to accelerate learning and delivery. You should be curious about how AI changes software development and willing to experiment with new workflows.
Self-Starter Mentality: Evidence that you have built things independently, explored new tools, solved problems without waiting for permission, or taken initiative beyond coursework or assigned work.
Problem-Solving Ability: Strong logical reasoning and a willingness to work through complex systems patiently.
Product Curiosity: Interest in understanding how software supports real customer workflows, not just how to write code.
High Ownership: Willingness to take responsibility for your work, test it properly, ask for feedback, and improve quickly.
Communication: Clear, direct communication. You should be able to explain what you are doing, where you are blocked, and what trade-offs you are considering.
Learning Pace: Ability to absorb feedback quickly and adapt to a fast-changing engineering environment.
Useful but not required
Experience or interest in any of the following would be helpful:
NestJS or structured backend frameworks
AWS
Docker
PostgreSQL or relational databases
Payment systems, fintech, insurance, or banking
Automated testing frameworks
Observability and monitoring
Prompting, agent workflows, RAG systems, or AI-assisted internal tooling
Building personal products, prototypes, or automation scripts
Why Join Diesta?
Join a mission-driven team addressing real pain points in insurance finance.
Be part of a lean, high-performing team with direct impact on product and client outcomes.
Work with top insurers and brokers in an industry ripe for disruption.
A culture of high trust, low ego: we value competence, commitment, and transparency.
Benefits
Hybrid work model with a central London office (Bank / Liverpool Street)
Private healthcare insurance
Regular team lunches and international offsites
State-of-the-art technical equipment
22 days annual leave (excluding bank holidays)
Interview Process
Intro Call with our Chief of Staff to explore your background and aspirations.
Technical Interview with the Head of Engineering.
Onsite Workshop at our London office, collaborate with the team and experience our culture first-hand.
Interested in solving real-world data problems and shaping the future of insurance payments?
Apply now to join Diesta at recruitment@diesta.co.uk
