---
title: 'Lead Backend Engineer at Aplazo'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-backend-engineer-aplazo-mexico-vf0xftcwe0v2'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-05'
---

# Lead Backend Engineer at Aplazo

- **Company:** Aplazo
- **Location:** Mexico
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-09-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/aplazo/bdceec58-235f-43fa-b246-2c8eed95d1f4

## Job description

## ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for a Lead Backend Engineer to own entire systems and lead technical initiatives. You'll design and build backend services that power Aplazo's financial products, mentor engineers, and drive quality across your squad.

At this level, you're the technical leader of your squad—breaking down ambiguous problems, delivering complex features end-to-end, and making the trade-offs that balance speed with reliability.

## WHAT YOU'LL DO

- Own systems end-to-end — Design, build, and operate backend services from idea to production
- Lead technically — Run design reviews, set technical direction, and make architecture decisions for your squad
- Mentor engineers — Help E1/E2 engineers grow through pairing, code review, and coaching
- Drive quality — Champion testing strategy, observability, and engineering best practices
- Leverage AI strategically — Use AI for architecture exploration, large refactors, and risk modeling; build or champion AI-powered tools for the squad
- Handle incidents — Lead incident response and blameless postmortems in your domain
- Ship predictably — Break down ambiguous problems into clear milestones and deliver on commitments

## WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Technical

- 5+ years building backend systems at scale
- Strong experience with Java (Python/Go a plus)
- Deep knowledge of distributed systems, APIs, and cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred)
- Expert-level debugging across service boundaries
- Track record of designing systems that balance scalability, reliability, and speed

AI Fluency

- Uses AI tools (Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT) daily for coding, debugging, and analysis
- Uses AI strategically for architecture exploration, large refactors, and prototyping
- Builds or champions squad-level AI-powered tools (e.g., smart alerting, test generation)
- Keeps the team ahead of new AI capabilities relevant to backend development and fintech

Leadership & Communication

- Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical discussions
- Clear communicator who can explain trade-offs to engineers, PMs, and stakeholders
- Comfortable with ambiguity and changing requirements
- Fluent in Spanish; working knowledge of English for cross-team collaboration

Mindset

- Product-minded—you care about business outcomes, not just code
- Strong ownership mentality; you see problems through to resolution
- Curious about fintech, lending, and the Mexican financial ecosystem

## NICE TO HAVE

- Experience in fintech, payments, or lending
- Familiarity with Mexican financial regulation (CNBV, Condusef)
- On-call and incident management experience
- Contributions to engineering culture (tech talks, RFCs, tooling)

## OUR STACK

Java (primary), Python, Go · AWS (ECS, Lambda) · PostgreSQL · Kafka · DataDog · Pulumi · Jenkins

## WHY APLAZO

Our mission is to empower financial access and opportunity across Latin America through fair, simple, and transparent solutions. Our tech vision: be the most beloved and innovative tech organization in Latin America.

We're a Series B fintech growing fast—you'll have real ownership, impact, and the chance to shape how millions of people access credit.

## About Aplazo

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Aplazo is a Mexican fintech that provides a buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform enabling consumers to purchase goods in installments without needing a credit card, serving both online and physical merchants.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, $45 million raised in May 2024)
- **Headquarters**: Mexico City, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City, Mexico
- **Founded**: 2020
- **Founders**: Angel Peña (Co-Founder & CEO) and others (COO also co-founder, but name not disclosed in sources)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Financial technology (BNPL / consumer payments)
- **Target customers**: B2C (underbanked and credit-invisible consumers in Mexico) and B2B (offline and online merchants seeking to increase sales and loyalty)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To become the preferred payment method in Mexico by making credit more transparent, flexible, and accessible, especially for the large unbanked population.

## Products & Services
- **Aplazo BNPL**: A virtual card that allows shoppers to pay in installments (typically 20% upfront, remainder in fixed payments) without a credit card. Available in-store (more than half of transactions) and online.
- **Merchant Tools**: Integration services and data analytics that help businesses offer installment payments, drive conversion, and build customer loyalty.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total equity funding of ~$100 million, with an additional $75 million in committed debt. Revenue reportedly tripled in the past year (as of May 2024), and the company claimed to be near cash-flow breakeven.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: QED Investors (led Series B), Oak HC/FT, Kaszek, Picus Capital, and Volpe Capital (new investor). Partnerships with nearly 10,000 merchants.
- **Growth Signals**: Revenue tripled year-over-year; delinquency rates cut by half while business more than 3x’d; 40% of users have no credit history, giving Aplazo a unique data advantage; strong presence in physical retail (in-store >50% of transactions).

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI-powered underwriting**: The company uses AI to assess risk per transaction, enabling low delinquency even with limited traditional credit data.
- **Massive underserved market**: Mexico has a large underbanked population (~40% of users have no credit history), making it difficult for international players like Klarna or Affirm to compete.
- **Dual channel (online + offline)**: In-store BNPL is a key differentiator in a market where e-commerce penetration is still low.
- **Data moat**: With ~10,000 merchant relationships and millions of transactions, Aplazo’s data network continues to compound, improving both underwriting and merchant value.

## Strategic Focus
- **Deepen product ecosystem**: Use BNPL as a stepping stone to broader financial services (e.g., credit building, savings, or lending) for both consumers and merchants.
- **Expand merchant network**: Continue onboarding physical and digital retailers, leveraging in-store adoption.
- **Self-funded growth**: With near breakeven status and strong unit economics, the company aims to grow without heavy reliance on future dilution.

## Why Work Here
- **Hybrid work model**: Employees work in a combination of remote and on-site (office in Mexico City). Some roles are fully remote; others require occasional in-office time.
- **Culture of efficiency and AI**: The company emphasizes lean, data-driven operations. Engineering and data science teams are central, with AI embedded across the organization.
- **Growth trajectory**: Revenue tripling and disciplined scaling make it an attractive place for those wanting impact in an emerging market fintech.
- **Notable perks**: Not explicitly listed, but a “high-growth startup” environment with a focus on financial inclusion and real-world impact. Headcount is around 190 (BuiltIn) or 130 (TechCrunch 2024); engineering team of ~65 is a significant portion of the company.

## Sources
1. [aplazo.mx](https://aplazo.mx/)
2. [Built In - Aplazo careers](https://builtin.com/company/aplazo)
3. [TechCrunch - Series B announcement](https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/13/aplazo/)
4. [The Org - Aplazo team structure](https://theorg.com/org/aplazo)

## Other roles at Aplazo

- [Technical Lead Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-lead-manager-aplazo-remote-decyhebaj6t6)
- [FP&A Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/fp-a-manager-aplazo-mexico-city-qzn8evavv4r0) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [DevOps Tech Lead Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/devops-tech-lead-manager-aplazo-mexico-csrsy925xnwb) — Mexico
- [Creative & Brand Guardian](https://feeny.ai/job/creative-brand-guardian-aplazo-mexico-city-qye7gwfjepj6) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Senior Software Development Engineer in Test](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-development-engineer-in-test-aplazo-mexico-927mzxcm7krf) — Mexico
- [Marketing Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/marketing-specialist-aplazo-mexico-city-jv6ee9xyny5h) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Inside Sales Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/inside-sales-representative-aplazo-mexico-city-hst2a5paxr9y) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Territory Supervisor - Mexico City](https://feeny.ai/job/territory-supervisor-mexico-city-aplazo-mexico-city-xh4jmcdj8qpy) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Accounting & Tax Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/accounting-tax-manager-aplazo-mexico-city-3hm4k4hy1h24) — Mexico City, Mexico
- [Product Manager, BNPL Online](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-bnpl-online-aplazo-mexico-city-76ax2ys4x5xt) — Mexico City, Mexico