Principal Engineer I - Backend

About Zeta

Build the future of banking.
Zeta is a next-generation banking technology company providing cloud-native, fully stackable processing and core banking platforms for issuers. With a focus on scalability, compliance, and innovation, Zeta empowers financial institutions to modernize their technology infrastructure and deliver secure, seamless digital banking experiences.

Our impact runs at real-world scale. Today, over 25 million cards are live on Zeta-powered platforms across 7 countries, supported by a passionate team of 1,700+ Zetanauts across India, the US, EMEA, and Asia. Backed by SoftBank Vision Fund, Mastercard, and other reputed strategic investors, we reached a valuation of $2 billion in 2025.

Our focus is on establishing product lines that focus on key outcomes by addressing real customer pain points, modernizing legacy systems, and strengthening core fundamentals. As a result, our systems and platforms support a wide range of banking and payments capabilities, including:
1. Tachyon, our cloud-native banking stack built for population-scale systems
2. Cipher, our unified authentication platform for secure, high-volume banking environments
3. Digital Credit as a Service, enabling banks to launch credit lines on UPI
4. Elena, our intelligent and conversational AI platform for banking.
5. Pixel, India’s first digital-native credit card, launched in partnership with HDFC Bank, for whom we also revamped their PayZapp mobile app: Winner of the Celent Model Bank Award for Payments Innovation 2024.
6. Sparrow, the leading card experience for non-prime cardholders in the US
…and more across cards, payments, lending, and core banking.

We are an engineering-first organization that values ownership, bias for action, and long-term thinking. Together, we solve some of the hardest problems in banking tech. Our culture is built around trust, collaboration, and creating the conditions for you to drive impact proportionate to your potential. Reinforcing our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace, we have been consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work.
If you want to build cutting-edge banking tech that enables banks to serve millions reliably, securely, and at a population scale, Zeta is your playground.If you would like to learn more about how we have grown and evolved over the years, watch our journey here. You can also explore our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram,YouTube, and X.

As a Principal Engineer specializing in System Architecture and Distributed Systems, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the technical landscape of our projects. With expertise in languages such as Java, deep knowledge of system internals, and mastery of distributed systems, you will lead the way in architecting scalable, secure, and reliable solutions. Your role extends to troubleshooting complex issues, optimizing performance, and actively mentoring engineering teams. Proven leadership in project delivery, familiarity with cloud technologies, and a keen sense of fraud detection and risk management round out the key attributes we seek. If you're a proactive, independent decision-maker with a passion for cutting-edge technologies, this role offers a dynamic opportunity to drive innovation and operational excellence in a cross-functional environment

Responsibilities::
• Microservices Architecture Enhancement:
• Scalability Enhancement: Elevate microservices architecture to the next level of scalability, ensuring optimal performance in diverse scenarios.
• Efficiency Optimization: Streamline and enhance the efficiency of microservices, exploring innovative solutions for resource optimization.
• Observability Implementation: Implement robust observability mechanisms, enabling comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics.
• Availability Enhancement: Improve the availability of microservices, ensuring reliability even in high-demand scenarios.
• Multi-Region and Multi-Cloud Deployment:
• Cross-Region Systems: Build, deploy, and run multi-homed systems designed to operate seamlessly across multiple regions.
• Cloud Provider Flexibility: Develop systems that function across various cloud providers, enhancing flexibility and minimizing dependencies.
• Petabyte-Scale Data Processing:
• Data Processing Systems: Design and open-source data processing, storage, and retrieval systems at the petabyte scale.
• Cost-Effective Scaling: Ensure scalability while maintaining the lowest cost per gigabyte, responding rapidly even at the 99th percentile.
• Platform and Library Development:
• Platform Creation: Develop platforms, reusable libraries, and utilities to enhance the efficiency and consistency of development efforts.
• Open Source Initiatives: Contribute to open-source projects, sharing innovations and solutions with the broader community.
• Code Quality and Best Practices:
• High-Quality Code: Write high-quality, modular, functional, and testable code to drive the reliability of microservices.
• Coding Standards: Establish and promote the adoption of the best coding practices within the development team.
Decision-Making Authority:
• Strategic Decision-Making: Exercise strong decision-making abilities, particularly in matters related to architecture, scalability, and efficiency.

Skills::
• Deep Understanding of Java
• Core Library/Language Constructs: To excel in this role, you should possess a deep understanding of Java. This includes proficiency in core language constructs, object-oriented programming principles, and advanced topics such as concurrency, memory management, and compiler optimizations.
• Knowledge of System Internals
• Processor, Memory, Network, and Storage Internals: Understanding the internals of processors, memory, networks, and storage devices is essential for optimizing code performance and resource utilization. This knowledge enables developers to write code that takes advantage of hardware capabilities and avoids potential bottlenecks.
• Familiarity with I/O Optimized Algorithms
• I/O Optimized Algorithms: I/O operations are often a bottleneck in performance-critical applications. Familiarity with I/O optimized algorithms, such as asynchronous I/O, non-blocking I/O, and direct memory access (DMA), is essential for minimizing I/O overhead and achieving high throughput.
• Deep Understanding of Distributed Systems
• Fault Modeling, Concurrency, Isolation, Consensus: Distributed systems pose unique challenges due to their decentralized nature. A deep understanding of fault modeling, concurrency, isolation, and consensus algorithms is crucial for building reliable and scalable distributed applications.
• Dynamo, HBase, Messaging Systems, Time, Clocks, Ordering of Events, Rate Control, Load Distribution: Studying distributed systems
• Design and Problem-Solving Skills: Great design and problem-solving skills with a strong basis for architecting performance, scalability, security, and reliability are essential for building high-quality software systems.
• Conversant with the Internals of Systems
• Kafka, Cassandra/Scylla, Redis: Familiarity with the internals of popular distributed systems like Kafka, Cassandra/Scylla, and Redis is essential for troubleshooting issues, optimizing performance, and making informed decisions about their usage.
• Working Knowledge of Hosting and Network Infrastructure (K8s)
• Kubernetes (K8s): Kubernetes is a leading container orchestration platform for managing and deploying containerized applications. Working knowledge of K8s is essential for building and deploying cloud-native applications.
• Familiarity with Low-Level Network Protocols
• gRPC, HTTP/2, QUIC: Familiarity with low-level network protocols like gRPC, HTTP/2, and QUIC is beneficial for understanding the underlying mechanisms of network communication and optimizing application performance.
• Troubleshooting and Performance Optimization
• Memory Issues, GC Tuning, Resource Leaks: Troubleshooting memory issues, GC tuning, and resource leaks is critical for maintaining application stability and performance. Expertise in these areas is essential for ensuring efficient resource utilization and preventing performance degradation.
• Understanding of Branching, Build, Deployment, CI/CD Methodologies
• Branching, Build, Deployment, CI/CD: A good understanding of branching strategies, build tools, deployment processes, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) methodologies is crucial for streamlining software development and ensuring rapid delivery of high-quality software.
• Deep Understanding of OOAD and Algorithms
• OOAD and Efficient Data Structures: A deep understanding of object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) principles and efficient data structures is crucial for designing well-structured, maintainable, and performant software systems.
• Cloud Technologies
• AWS/Google Cloud, Azure, OpenStack: Having knowledge of cloud technologies like AWS/Google Cloud, Azure, and OpenStack is beneficial for understanding cloud infrastructure and leveraging cloud services effectively.

Experience and Qualifications::
• 8+ years of experience in software development and delivery.
• Experience in Java, Spring, REST, SQL (PostgreSQL or MYSQL) Messaging systems, ELK stack, and microservices is required.
• Engineering degree in computer science or equivalent.

Zeta is an equal opportunity employer.
At Zeta, we are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of job history, disability, gender identity, religion, race, marital/parental status, or another special status. We are proud to be an equitable workplace that welcomes individuals from all walks of life if they fit the roles and responsibilities.