Senior Scala Engineer

About us

At Zego, we know that traditional motor insurance holds good drivers back. It’s too complicated, too expensive, and it doesn't take into account how well you actually drive. 

That’s why, since 2016, we’ve been on a mission to change all of that. Our mission at Zego is to offer the lowest priced insurance for good drivers.

From van drivers and gig workers to everyday car drivers, our customers are our driving force- they’re at the heart of everything we do.

We’ve sold tens of millions of policies so far, and raised over $200 million in funding. And we’re only just getting started.

About the role

We’re looking for a Senior Scala Engineer who brings strong backend engineering skills, experience building systems at scale, and the adaptability to work across multiple technologies. You’ll have proven experience delivering production systems in Scala. At the same time, you’re comfortable stepping into other parts of our stack when needed, for example, contributing to services in our large Python ecosystem. While Python experience isn’t a requirement, being open to working beyond Scala will help you thrive at Zego.

What you will be doing

• Design, enhance, test, deploy, and own Scala microservices that deliver business and user value.
  
• Work on distributed, cloud-based systems, ensuring they are reliable, observable, and well-tested.
  
• Collaborate closely with Engineers, Product Managers, and other cross-functional partners to deliver outcomes.
  
• Contribute to architectural discussions and influence system design across teams.
  
• Write clean, maintainable code and review contributions from others to maintain high quality.
  
• Stay adaptable, applying your engineering fundamentals across languages and frameworks when needed.
  

About you

• Professional experience delivering backend systems in Scala and Akka, plus non-trivial projects in at least one other backend language (e.g. Java, Python, Go, Kotlin).
  
• Strong computer science fundamentals- data structures, algorithms, concurrency, distributed systems.
  
• Experience with cloud microservices architectures (AWS preferred) and CI/CD workflows.
  
• Familiarity with SQL and document databases.
  
• Proven track record in building and maintaining production systems at scale.
  
• Comfortable adapting to evolving technical landscapes and learning new technologies quickly.
  
• Collaborative and pragmatic, with excellent communication skills.

• You will be someone who’s actively curious about how AI can enhance your work - keen to experiment, learn quickly, and apply tools that improve productivity, streamline tasks, or unlock new ways of thinking. Whether you’re already hands-on or fast building confidence, you take ownership of staying ahead and working smarter

What’s it like to work at Zego?

Joining Zego is a career-defining move. People go further here, reaching their full potential to achieve extraordinary things. 

We’re spread throughout the UK and Europe, and united by our drive to get things done. We’re proud of our company and our culture – a friendly and inclusive space where we can lift each other up and celebrate our wins every day.

Together, we’re setting the bar higher, delivering exceptional work that makes a difference. Our people are the most important part of our story, and everyone here plays a role. There’s loads of room to learn and grow, and you’ll get the freedom to steer your career wherever you want.

You’ll work alongside a talented group who embrace each other's differences and aren’t afraid of a challenge. We recognise our achievements, learn from our mistakes, and help each other to be the best we can be. Together, we’re making insurance matter. 

How we work

We believe that teams work better when they have time to collaborate and space to get things done. We call it Zego Hybrid. While some of our team choose to come into our central London office once a week, we’re flexible - some people prefer being in once a month or even quarterly. It’s all about finding the right balance between collaborative face time and focused home-working, so we can achieve great results while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Our approach to AI

We believe in the power of AI to meaningfully improve how we work - helping us move faster, think differently, and focus on what matters most. At Zego, we encourage people to stay curious and intentional about how AI is leveraged in their work and teams to drive practical impact every day. This is your chance to do the most meaningful work of your career - and we’ll provide you with the tools, support, and freedom to do it well.

Benefits

We reward our people well. Join us and you’ll get a market-competitive salary, private medical insurance, company share options, generous holiday allowance, and a whole lot of wellbeing benefits. We also offer an annual flexible hybrid working contribution, which you can use to support with your travel to the office or towards your own personal development. And that’s just for starters! 

We’re an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.

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