--- title: 'Senior Backend Engineer (Berlin) at Kadmos' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-backend-engineer-berlin-kadmos-berlin-pbht48kefb4e' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-09' --- # Senior Backend Engineer (Berlin) at Kadmos - **Company:** Kadmos - **Location:** Berlin, Germany - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2025-09-15 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09 - **Apply:** https://job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/kadmos3/jobs/4674099101 ## Job description ## About the opportunity ## 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 https://www.kadmos.io/ ## 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. ## Why Work Here - **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. ## Sources 1. [kadmos.io – Official Website](https://www.kadmos.io/) 2. [kadmos.io – About Us](https://www.kadmos.io/resources/about-us) 3. [kadmos.io – Careers Page](https://www.kadmos.io/careers) 4. [PitchBook – Kadmos Company Profile](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/484276-78) 5. [TechCrunch – NYK acquires Kadmos](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/23/japanese-shipping-firm-nyk-acquires-kadmos-a-salary-payment-platform-for-seafarers/) ## Other roles at Kadmos - [Senior Full-Stack Engineer (Berlin)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-full-stack-engineer-berlin-kadmos-berlin-1exbrdcykf9s) — Berlin, Germany