Senior Backend Engineer (Berlin) at Kadmos (Berlin, Germany)

Kadmos· Berlin, Germany·2d ago

Role details

Work type

Remote

Job description

About the opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Backend Developer who will take ownership of crucial backend engineering activities at Kadmos. As a regulated salary payment provider in the shipping industry, we are building secure, reliable, and scalable financial solutions that empower seafarers and shipping companies worldwide. You will play a central role in shaping the backbone of our platform and driving innovation in a highly regulated environment.

What you can expect

Own the backend. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining core backend systems, building reusable libraries, implementing complex financial components, and integrating with external service providers.
Work with independence. You’ll be trusted to take full ownership of your responsibilities, while collaborating closely with product, compliance, and engineering teams.
Impact at scale. You will contribute directly to a platform serving the global shipping industry, with the opportunity to design systems that handle secure financial transactions.
Collaborative environment. We value diversity, transparency, and teamwork. You’ll join an open and supportive culture where everyone’s input matters.

What you bring along

5+ years of professional experience in backend engineering with Java Spring Boot.
Master's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or Physics.
Expertise in Spring Boot and strong knowledge of modern frameworks, SDKs, API standards, and libraries.
Solid experience with unit, integration, and performance testing (JUnit, Spock, Testcontainers).
Strong understanding of building secure, reliable, and scalable systems, ideally in a regulated or financial services context.
Proactive, ambitious, and collaborative mindset with a track record of delivering high-quality solutions.
Fluency in English.
Nice to have: familiarity with React and experience in building financial products.

Why us

🌱 Opportunity to work in a company with direct social impact
💰 Attractive compensation
🇺🇦 Open & International environment
🏛️ Fantastic location in the heart of Berlin & flexible WFH policy
🥘 Free lunch at the office
💻 Latest equipment, to ensure you have everything needed

About the company

Kadmos is on an ambitious mission to revolutionise salary payments to migrant workers. The Berlin-based startup was founded in 2021 by MIT graduates Justus Schmueser and Sasha Makarovych to bring fintech, low margins, and transparent FX to industries riddled with opaque mark-ups, kickbacks, and physical cash transactions.

Backed by renowned VCs Addition and Atlantic Labs, Kadmos has raised more than $39 million since 2021. The company intends to use the funding for expanding across industries and further accelerating product development. For more information, visit kadmos.io

Why work at Kadmos

Mission-driven impact: Directly improve the financial lives of millions of underbanked, hard-working migrant workers and seafarers.
Diverse & international team: Over 20 nationalities in a ~30-person team — a genuinely global culture.
Office-first hybrid policy: Berlin HQ and London office with a focus on collaboration, plus up to 60 days/year of “workation” from anywhere.
Compensation: Above-market salary and VSOP (Virtual Stock Option Plan) packages at all levels.
Learning & development: 500 EUR yearly L&D budget per employee.
Stability + growth: Post-acquisition by NYK provides financial stability and resources, while the startup culture and mission remain intact. The team is staying on with slight management adjustments.
Direct impact: Small team means every employee has outsized influence on product and company direction.

About Kadmos

Company Overview

One-liner: Kadmos develops an end-to-end digital salary payment platform designed to simplify and secure cross-border payroll for seafaring and other migrant workers.
Entity Type: Private (Acquired/Merged – operating subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha as of June 2025)
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany (with an office in London, UK)
Founded: 2021
Founders: Justus Schmueser and Sasha Makarovych

Core Business

Primary industry: Fintech / Maritime Payroll & Payments
Target customers: B2B — shipping companies, ship management firms, and any employer with a cross-border, cash-based workforce (seafarers, migrant workers)
Mission/purpose statement: “Bring state-of-the-art financial technology to every worker on Earth (and beyond).”

Products & Services

Kadmos Employer Platform (Web App): Automated, digital salary payment setup that lets companies pay employees in multiple currencies, manage payroll centrally, and eliminate intermediaries. Features include cashless vessel operations, virtual point-of-sale devices, and peer-to-peer transfers.
Kadmos Employee App (Mobile): Allows seafarers and migrant workers to receive instant salary payments, transfer money home, use a global debit card, and manage their finances with market-leading FX rates and low fees.
Global Debit Card: Non-personalized cards with wide acceptance, enabling workers to spend or withdraw cash without needing a traditional bank account.
B2B Payment & Corporate Card (planned): Kadmos plans to expand beyond payroll into cross-border B2B payments and corporate card offerings.

Market Standing

Valuation/Market Cap: Acquisition price not disclosed (acquired by NYK Line in June 2025).
Key Metric: Total capital raised — $40.6M (including a $29.5M Series A in July 2022, a $9.5M seed round, and an $847K pre-seed).
Notable Investors/Partners: Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) is the acquirer and parent company. Prior investors include unnamed VC backers (formerly VC-backed).
Growth Signals:
- Acquired by NYK Line in June 2025, a globally recognized shipping giant, to power its MarCoPay payroll solution.
- More than 40 enterprise customers at the time of acquisition.
- Plans to expand into the cruise industry and offer additional financial services for shipping companies.
- Team of ~30 people representing over 20 nationalities.

Competitive Advantages

End-to-end cashless solution: Kadmos uniquely offers a fully digital, cashless payroll ecosystem for vessels, including virtual POS and P2P transfers — competitors typically charge a monthly SaaS fee and lack this breadth.
Flexible pricing: Companies can customize fee coverage for crew while staying compliant with Maritime Labour Convention regulations.
Global coverage + local depth: The combination of Kadmos’s international platform with NYK’s MarCoPay presence in the Philippines creates a powerful network effect.
NYK brand trust: Post-acquisition, Kadmos benefits from the reputation and industry relationships of one of the world’s largest shipping lines.

Strategic Focus

Post-acquisition integration: Leverage NYK’s brand and MarCoPay’s Philippines footprint to accelerate customer acquisition in shipping.
Product expansion: Move beyond payroll into B2B cross-border payments and corporate cards.
New verticals: Enter the cruise industry as a new customer segment.
Geographic growth: Use NYK’s global reach to sign customers faster and expand into new maritime markets.

Sources