Job Specifications
We Are Redefining How People Approach Their Health
ZOE is the science and nutrition company leading a movement to transform the health of millions.
We exist because the food we eat is making us sick. Most of what we are taught about food is wrong.
ZOE runs the world's largest nutrition science study to find scientifically proven solutions.
Our randomised controlled trial of ZOE proves that if you eat the right food for your body, you can feel healthier in weeks and be on track for more healthy years.
ZOE can change the way you eat, feel, and live. We host world-leading scientists on our podcast and bring proven science to your plate with Daily30+, our 30+ plant supplement.
Over 100,000 people rely on ZOE Membership, our personalised nutrition program, to make smarter food choices. ZOE Membership turns complex science into clear step-by-step actions, helping you improve your health with every meal.
ZOE means life -- and you can change your life with food.
Visit our career page and become a ZOEntist
The Role
As a Lead Back-end Engineer, you'll be part of a dynamic, distributed team of six software engineers led by a Senior Engineering Manager. This is an individual contributor role, where you'll take on technical leadership within our cross-functional team.
You'll collaborate closely with product managers, designers, data scientists, and marketing experts to shape the future of our product. Your focus will be on designing and building systems in critical areas such as data collection, account management, and permission management. By solving complex problems and delivering impactful solutions quickly, you'll play a key role in advancing our mission.
Our Cutting-Edge Stack:
Backend: Kotlin / Spring Boot, Python / FastAPI & Django
Frontend: TypeScript, React Native, Next.js
CI/CD: ArgoCD, GitHub Actions
Infrastructure: GCP, Kubernetes, Terraform
Data: dbt, BigQuery, Airflow
What You'll Be Doing
Collaborate with product managers, designers, and marketing teams to deliver meaningful solutions.
Design and run experiments to quickly validate ideas using real user feedback.
Break down complex, ambiguous problems into simpler parts, enabling the team to deliver incrementally and drive fast impact.
Balance speed and quality by prioritising solutions that provide immediate value while ensuring long-term scalability.
Build maintainable, extensible, and testable solutions that follow engineering best practices.
Mentor and support teammates, helping them grow their skills while positively shaping team processes and impact.
Solve backend challenges in close collaboration with product managers and UX designers to deliver a best-in-class customer experience.
Write high-quality code across our microservices and data pipelines.
Ship to production frequently, aiming for daily releases or faster.
We think you would be great if you...
7+ years of hands-on back-end development experience, including leading technical decisions, mentoring engineers, and improving system architecture.
Pragmatic mindset, championing simple and elegant solutions over unnecessary complexity, and knowing when to evolve designs for the future.
High standards for technical quality and developer experience, enabling the team to move quickly without compromising on excellence.
Adaptable in fast-paced environments, comfortable navigating challenges and driving progress under changing conditions.
Confident working with ambiguity, building iteratively in short feedback loops to reach the best outcomes.
Positive and collaborative, bringing energy, joy, and strong relationships to the team while contributing to meaningful work.
Our Hiring Journey
Stage 1: Talent Acquisition Interview | 30 mins
A friendly conversation with a member of our Talent team to learn about your background, career goals, and motivations for joining ZOE. This is also a great chance to ask questions about the role, team, or culture.
Stage 2: Hiring Manager Interview | 30 mins
A focused discussion with the Hiring Manager where we'll explore your experience as a senior individual contributor, the impact you've made on technical decisions, and how you've influenced teams and projects in the past.
Stage 3: Final Interview Loop
The final stage includes three sessions designed to assess your coding skills, system design expertise, and how you collaborate and embody ZOE's values. These are typically spread over 2-3 days, but we're happy to combine them depending on scheduling needs.
You'll need to progress successfully through each step to move forward. We'll keep you updated at every stage.
Coding Interview | 60 mins
You'll work through a technical problem in a collaborative setting. We're looking to understand your coding ability, problem-solving approach, and how you write clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
System Design Interview | 60 mins
We'll present a high-level problem and ask you to design a scalable, maintainable, and efficient system. This s