---
title: 'Senior II Full-Stack Engineer (back-end heavy) at Preply'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ii-full-stack-engineer-back-end-heavy-preply-london-0tcnk20meddg'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Senior II Full-Stack Engineer (back-end heavy) at Preply

- **Company:** [Preply](https://feeny.ai/companies/preply)
- **Location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-07
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/preply/6e2b63a7-9114-4ef4-9330-d38af6eb8c3d/application

**Skills:** Python, Django, React, TypeScript, HTML5, CSS, API Design, Data Pipelines, Algorithms, Agentic AI SDLC, CI/CD, Java, Spring, Node.js, Ruby on Rails, Scala, Play, PHP, Go

> Develop and own backend features using Python/Django and frontend features in React/Typescript for a scalable, AI-enhanced education platform. The role involves full-stack implementation, system design, and data-driven product development within a cross-functional team.

## Job description

WE POWER PEOPLE’S PROGRESS.

At Preply, we’re all about creating life-changing learning experiences. We help people discover the magic of the perfect tutor, craft a personalised learning journey, and stay motivated to keep growing. Our approach is human-led, tech-enabled - and it’s creating real impact.

We’ve just reached unicorn status with a $150M Series D, accelerating our vision to transform education through human-led, AI-enhanced learning. Today, 100,000+ tutors teach 90+ languages to learners in 180 countries - and we’re only getting started. As a category-defining company, we’re shaping what the future of learning looks like at global scale.

Every Preply lesson sparks change, fuels ambition, and drives progress that matters. Joining Preply means helping define the future of education at global scale, and building something that truly matters for millions of people, every day.

MEET THE TEAM!

Our team builds scalable, resilient products using Python/Django on the backend and React on the frontend, all with one goal in mind: creating a smooth, meaningful experience for our learners and tutors.

We're proudly tech-agnostic, great engineers come from all kinds of backgrounds. Whether you’ve worked with Java/Spring, Node.js, Ruby on Rails, Scala/Play, PHP, or Go, you’ll feel right at home here. Python experience isn’t required.

We make decisions based on data and real user feedback: running A/B tests, shipping iteratively, and constantly improving. We also put a strong focus on observability, monitoring, and metrics, so we can keep our systems healthy and continue optimizing at scale.

At Preply, we ship 50–60 times per day, thanks to a solid CI/CD setup and a culture that values action over ceremony. As a fast-growing company, you’ll find a wide range of technical challenges (we even write about many of them on our Engineering Blog https://medium.com/preply-engineering!), the kind of work that keeps you learning, stretching, and growing.

We’ve reached 90%+ adoption of AI coding tools across engineering, and we’re now moving towards more autonomous, AI-Augmented development at scale. At Preply, engineers have direct access to the best tools available, with the freedom to use them fully and experiment as they build.

## WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

You will work in a cross-functional team alongside Product Managers, Product Designers, UX Writers, Data Analysts, Engineering Managers, Engineers, and other stakeholders to deliver meaningful outcomes for learners and tutors. As a Senior II Full Stack Engineer, you will combine hands-on execution with technical leadership, helping shape both product direction and engineering excellence through initiatives that drive customer and business impact, including, but not limited to:

- Back-end Development: Design, build, and evolve scalable backend systems using Python/Django, driving architectural decisions, creating new services, and owning critical integrations that support Preply’s growth;
- UI Development: Develop and evolve frontend experiences in React/Typescript, contributing to experimentation frameworks and helping establish frontend engineering best practices;
- Implementation & Ownership: Lead complex initiatives from discovery through deployment, taking ownership of solutions throughout their lifecycle and balancing immediate product needs with long-term sustainability;
- Raising the Bar: Drive engineering excellence through mentorship, architectural reviews, and the adoption of best practices across frontend and backend development;
- Data-Driven Product Development: Partner closely with Product, Data, and UX teammates to identify opportunities, validate hypotheses, and maximize customer value through experimentation and measurable outcomes;
- System Design: Shape architectural direction for complex systems, making technical decisions that improve scalability, reliability, maintainability, and developer productivity;
- Prioritisation & Decision-Making: Navigate ambiguity, evaluate trade-offs, and align technical investments with business objectives and customer impact;
- Technical Leadership: Influence technical direction beyond your immediate scope, collaborating with engineers, managers, and stakeholders to drive alignment and successful delivery;
- Chasing Excellence: Continuously raise the quality bar through craftsmanship, curiosity, continuous learning, and a commitment to helping others grow.

## WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

- Full-Stack Expertise: This is a backend-heavy full-stack role, with approximately 85% of the work focused on backend development and 15% on frontend development. You bring deep backend engineering expertise alongside the ability to contribute across the full stack and deliver end-to-end solutions;
- Scalable Systems & Architecture: Experience designing and evolving large-scale web applications, including well-designed APIs, distributed systems, high-volume data flows, and scalable architectural patterns. Ability to make sound technical trade-offs that balance short-term delivery with long-term sustainability;
- Technical Leadership: Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions, drive engineering best practices, and contribute to architectural direction within and beyond your immediate team;
- Product & Business Impact: Strong product mindset with the ability to translate ambiguous business challenges into scalable technical solutions, using experimentation, data, and customer insights to guide decisions;
- Proactive Problem-Solving: Comfortable navigating ambiguity and independently solving complex technical and product challenges, while knowing when to engage others to maximize impact;
- Ownership & Accountability: High level of self-organization, ownership, and responsibility, with a track record of driving initiatives from concept through delivery and measurable outcomes;
- Collaboration & Communication: Excellent collaboration, stakeholder management, and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across engineering, product, design, and data functions. English level B2 or higher;
- Mentorship & Engineering Excellence: Experience mentoring engineers, contributing to code and design reviews, and helping raise the engineering bar through knowledge sharing and technical leadership;
- Operational Excellence: Understanding of observability, reliability, monitoring, and operational best practices, with willingness to participate in your squad’s on-call rotation (1 week every 5 weeks);
- Deep, hands-on expertise in AI tools, especially in agentic AI SDLC.

## WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT AT PREPLY

- An open, collaborative, dynamic and diverse culture;
- A generous monthly allowance for lessons on http://preply.com/Preply.com http://Preply.com, Learning & Development budget and time off for your self-development;
- A competitive financial package with equity, leave allowance and health insurance;
- Access to free mental health support platforms;
- The opportunity to shape the lives of learners and tutors through language learning and teaching in 175 countries (and counting!).

## OUR PRINCIPLES

- Care to change the world - We are passionate about our work and care deeply about its impact to be life changing.
- We do it for learners - For both Preply and tutors, learners are why we do what we do. Every day we focus on empowering tutors to deliver an exceptional learning experience.
- Keep perfecting - To create an outstanding customer experience, we focus on simplicity, smoothness, and enjoyment, continually perfecting it as every detail matters.
- Now is the time - In a fast-paced world, it matters how quickly we act. Now is the time to make great things happen.
- Disciplined execution - What makes us disciplined is the excellence in our execution. We set clear goals, focus on what matters, and utilize our resources efficiently.
- Dive deep - We leverage business acumen and curiosity to investigate disparities between numbers and stories, unlocking meaningful insights to guide our decisions.
- Growth mindset - We proactively seek growth opportunities and believe today's best performance becomes tomorrow's starting point. We humbly embrace feedback and learn from setbacks.
- Raise the bar - We raise our performance standards continuously, alongside each new hire and promotion. We build diverse and high-performing teams that can make a real difference.
- Challenge, disagree and commit - We value open and candid communication, even when we don’t fully agree. We speak our minds, challenge when necessary, and fully commit to decisions once made.
- One Preply - We prioritize collaboration, inclusion, and the success of our team over personal ambitions. Together, we support and celebrate each other's progress.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Preply.com http://Preply.com is committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe that the presence of different opinions and viewpoints is a key ingredient for our success as a multicultural Ed-Tech company. That means that Preply will consider all applications for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or veteran status.

## About Preply

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Preply is a human-led, AI-enabled online language learning marketplace that connects over 100,000 tutors with millions of learners worldwide for personalized 1-on-1 lessons.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series D – unicorn, $1.2B valuation as of January 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States (with global hubs in Barcelona, London, Kyiv, and New York)
- **Founded**: 2012
- **Founders**: Kirill Bigai (CEO) and Dmytro Voloshyn (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Language learning / EdTech
- **Target customers**: B2C (individual learners) and B2B (corporate language training via Preply Business); primarily B2C but growing enterprise segment.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Power people’s progress" – combining the flexibility of online learning with personalized lessons from expert tutors to create life‑changing experiences.

## Products & Services
- **Preply Marketplace**: A platform where learners book 1‑on‑1 live lessons with tutors teaching 90+ languages and 120+ subjects. Tutors manage scheduling, payments, and an integrated video classroom.
- **Preply Business**: Corporate language training solution for companies to upskill employees, offering tailored programs and reporting.
- **AI‑Powered Tools**: New‑generation AI‑enhanced tutoring features (including AI‑generated content and adaptive learning tools) designed to supplement human‑led instruction. The company also provides enterprise OpenAI licenses to employees.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: $1.2 billion (post‑money after January 2026 Series D) – becoming a unicorn.
- **Key Metric**: Over $100K total funding? Actually total disclosed funding is ~$150M+ (Series A, B, C) plus the $150M Series D. Annual revenue is not publicly available (private company). Key growth metric: 100,000+ tutors across 180 countries.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: WestCap (led Series D), Owl Ventures, Horizon Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Full In Partners, Diligent Capital Partners, Point Nine Capital (led Seed round).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Unicorn status reached in Jan 2026.
  - B2B segment “Preply Business” growing.
  - Completed first employee tender offer in May 2026 to provide early liquidity.
  - CEO Kirill Bigai named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 New England Finalist.
  - 700+ employees globally; 62+ nationalities represented.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Network effects**: Large two‑sided marketplace with 100K+ tutors and millions of learners creates a strong moat in the $115B global language learning market.
- **Human‑led + AI‑enabled**: Differentiates from purely self‑study apps (e.g., Duolingo) by combining live human interaction with AI‑powered personalization.
- **Global reach**: Tutors from 180 countries teaching 90+ languages, enabling learners to find native speakers for almost any language.
- **Trust & quality**: Focus on tutor quality and learner progress, with internal engagement surveys showing 86% of employees proud to work at Preply.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI integration**: Deepen AI capabilities to enhance tutoring (content generation, adaptive learning paths) while keeping human interaction central.
- **B2B expansion**: Grow Preply Business as a key revenue driver for corporate language training.
- **Global hub growth**: Strengthen presence in existing hubs (Barcelona, London, Kyiv, New York) and expand into new markets.
- **Talent & culture**: Continue building a people‑first culture with employee liquidity events and strong engagement scores.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Guided by five “Preply principles” (Ambition, Keep Perfecting, Care to Change the World, etc.). 86% of employees are proud to work at Preply (2025 survey); 84% would recommend it as a great place to work.
- **Work model**: Hybrid working model (flexible remote/in‑office). Main office in Barcelona with hubs in New York, London, and Kyiv.
- **Perks**: Competitive salaries, stock options, L&D days, monthly Preply platform allowance, wellness benefit, health insurance, flexible compensation program, after‑work gatherings, offsite events, enterprise OpenAI licenses.
- **Hiring process**: 4 stages – TA chat, interviews with hiring team (may include tech test), a final task (case study / peer programming / deep technical discussion), and a Culture Champion interview.
- **Global team**: 62+ nationalities and 700+ employees, offering a diverse, collaborative environment.

## Sources
1. [Preply Careers](https://preply.com/en/careers)
2. [Preply About Us](https://preply.com/en/about-us)
3. [Preply Homepage](https://preply.com/)
4. [CB Insights Company Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/preply)
5. [Preply LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/preply)

## Other roles at Preply

- [Senior Brand Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-brand-designer-preply-barcelona-44jjsn5v1jgp) — Barcelona, Spain
- [Senior Data Analyst - B2B](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-analyst-b2b-preply-barcelona-tn0mzxdyr1e9) — Barcelona, Spain
- [Senior Principal Applied AI Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-principal-applied-ai-scientist-preply-london-4v2mryfa1vns) — London, United Kingdom
- [Senior Principal Applied AI Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-principal-applied-ai-scientist-preply-barcelona-3qjbjcsa1310) — Barcelona, Spain
- [Senior Manager, Tutor Brand](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-tutor-brand-preply-barcelona-zg798vmyg1xz) — Barcelona, Spain
- [Senior Manager, Tutor Brand](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-tutor-brand-preply-london-npkkyvk4zhcf) — London, United Kingdom
- [Video Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/video-editor-preply-barcelona-929wjhnf19fv) — Barcelona, Spain
- [SEM Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/sem-manager-preply-barcelona-r966qm31vcr5) — Barcelona, Spain
- [Staff Data Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-data-scientist-preply-london-w1nbvqtq0ey8) — London, United Kingdom
- [Customer Care Specialist (Colombia - October)](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-care-specialist-colombia-october-preply-egypt-gq8zp3adeaax) — Egypt