---
title: 'Team Lead Engineering  -  Backend (f/m/d) at Zeal Network'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/team-lead-engineering-backend-f-m-d-zeal-network-hamburg-3jak6ebjhy3f'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Team Lead Engineering  -  Backend (f/m/d) at Zeal Network

- **Company:** Zeal Network
- **Location:** Hamburg, Germany
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2026-08-20
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/zeal-network/7a511c0b-d315-4de2-a718-9d984ab3ca1b

## Job description

ZEAL Network SE is a dynamic, international group of companies that has been creating exciting and innovative lottery experiences for over 20 years. As Germany’s largest provider of online lotteries through our brands LOTTO24 and Tipp24, and a trusted partner of Spain’s ONCE, the second-largest national lottery, we’re shaping the future of the lottery industry. We are passionate about driving innovation, as demonstrated by our newest brands, Freiheit+ and Traumhausverlosung, which bring fresh and exciting dreams to life. Additionally, through ZEAL Ventures, we invest in inspiring e-commerce start-ups like Omaze and DAYMADE, fueling fresh ideas and opportunities.

Our team of 350+ professionals from diverse backgrounds is united by a visionary mindset, a passion for collaboration, and a commitment to inspire dreams. At ZEAL, we empower our people to think ambitiously and work together toward a shared purpose: helping people imagine and achieve their aspirations.

As our Engineering Team Lead (f/m/d), you combine hands-on technical expertise to lead with strong people leadership and grow a high-performing team. You'll drive technical and architectural decisions, contribute to the codebase yourself, and ensure your team's services strengthen Zeal's B2B core platform. Working closely with Product Management and stakeholders, you'll balance business goals, customer experience, and technical excellence.

## YOUR TASKS:

- You lead a product-focused engineering team that builds and evolves Zeal's core B2B platform capabilities for internal business customers
- Lead technically and strategically, define and drive architectural decisions together with your team
- Code as part of the team: While guiding architecture and strategy, you’ll regularly write code, contribute to features, and help solve complex technical challenges together with your team
- Champion the effective use of AI in your team's engineering workflows (e.g. AI-assisted development and tooling) and explore opportunities to apply AI within the platform's capabilities
- Act as a sparring partner for Product Management and our internal businesses to define and drive product and tech strategy
- Deliver secure, robust and maintainable technical solutions while focusing on great customer experiences and business needs
- Drive collaboration: Work closely with other teams to align APIs, technical interfaces, and architectural consistency
- Own and operate the domain and the team’s microservices.

## WHAT YOU OFFER US:

- Proven people leadership skills, with an empowering style that enables rather than micromanages
- Strong and up-to-date hands-on experience working with Kotlin/Spring Boot, Mongo/PostgresDB
- A “You build it, you run it” mindset, with experience in deploying, monitoring, and maintaining microservices on Kubernetes.
- Strong understanding of how to create and evolve REST-APIs that clients like to use and Event-driven processing pipelines built on Kafka.
- Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions, and to align diverse stakeholders
- Excellent organizational and prioritization skills in dynamic settings
- Proactive, ownership-driven mindset
- Strong engineering fundamentals in building secure, scalable, and reliable systems, including security-by-design, resilience patterns, and operating production systems at scale.
- Preferred: Experience with introducing and evolving agentic AI development practices and operating models.

## WHAT WE OFFER:

- State-of-the-art technologies and an agile environment (Check our Tech Radar: https://lotto24.github.io/tech-radar/)
- A modern, dynamic culture grounded in the success of a leading-edge e-commerce company.
- A talented team of ambitious, like-minded colleagues where your knowledge and ideas truly make an impact.
- Ongoing personal growth, supported by an annual development budget of €1,500 to invest in your professional development.
- Trust and autonomy, no micromanagement, just confidence in your ability to deliver and excel.
- Flexible work options with a hybrid setup focused on results.
- Unlimited vacation days in addition to your yearly 30-day vacation allowance.
- Opportunity for workations abroad using our WorkFlex tool.
- Monthly mobility allowance of €30 to use on the mobility option of your choice (e.g., the Deutschlandticket), plus access to a company bike leasing program.
- Company pension scheme, provided in partnership with Degura, to support your future financial security.
- Subsidized EGYM WELLPASS membership, with a contribution of only €25 per month, giving you access to a wide range of gyms and sports options across Germany.
- Monthly company events, team activities, and informal gatherings, including our popular company-wide lunches provided four days a week.

## About Zeal Network

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: ZEAL Network SE is the leading German online provider of lottery products, operating brands like LOTTO24 and Tipp24 to broker state-licensed lottery tickets to consumers.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Frankfurt Stock Exchange – Ticker: TIMA)
- **Headquarters**: Hamburg, Germany
- **Founded**: 1999
- **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Online lottery brokering, e-commerce, and venture investing in lottery-related startups.
- **Target customers**: B2C (adult consumers in Germany and Spain who play lottery games).
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Encourage people to dream” by innovating and driving change in the lottery sector while expanding market leadership.

## Products & Services
- **LOTTO24**: Online lottery brokerage for German state lottery products (LOTTO 6aus49, Eurojackpot, Spiel 77, Super 6, GlücksSpirale, Keno, etc.). Revenue comes from brokerage commissions; no book-making risk.
- **Tipp24**: Second brand offering the same lottery products, part of the multi-brand strategy.
- **Freiheit+**: A life-changing lottery concept (subscription-based).
- **Traumhausverlosung (Dream Car Raffle)**: Charity lottery launched in the regulated German market, offering dream homes and cars.
- **ZEAL Ventures**: Corporate venture arm investing in lottery-related startups (e.g., Omaze, DAYMADE) using a risk-managed portfolio approach.
- **International partnerships**: Collaborates with Spain’s ONCE (second-largest national lottery).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Approximately €1,000 million (market capitalisation reached, as per official site); exact figure varies with share price.
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of €218 million (2025/2026 figures; €1,101 million in total billings). Public company – financials reported in quarterly/annual reports.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Public shareholders; strategic partners include ONCE (Spain). Key institutional investors not listed in provided sources.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Market leader in Germany with 44% market share (online lottery brokerage).
  - Revenue grew ~180% since business model change (from previous Tipp24 model).
  - Expanded portfolio with charity lottery (Dream Car Raffle) in 2026.
  - 4 active startup investments via ZEAL Ventures.
  - Employee count of 265 (official) – LinkedIn data suggests 109 with +21.5% YoY growth (conflicting reports; official figure likely more accurate).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Market leadership**: No. 1 German online lottery provider with strong brand recognition (LOTTO24, Tipp24).
- **Diversified revenue model**: Brokerage commissions eliminate book-making risk; high margins from regulated products.
- **Innovation engine**: ZEAL Ventures provides exposure to lottery-tech startups and potential integrations.
- **Regulatory incumbency**: Deep expertise in Germany’s strict lottery regulatory environment.
- **Cash generation**: €51 million dividend paid (recent); strong financial health.

## Strategic Focus
- **Product expansion**: Launching new charity lotteries (Dream Car Raffle) and exploring additional licensed verticals.
- **International growth**: Deepening Spanish partnership with ONCE; potential entry into other regulated markets.
- **Digital innovation**: Improving user experience, mobile-first approach, and data-driven marketing.
- **Venture investing**: Continuing to back lottery-adjacent e-commerce startups to learn and capture new opportunities.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as “outcomes, innovation, and trust” with a flat, cross-functional team structure. Emphasis on ownership, transparency, and “getting shit done.”
- **Hybrid & flexibility**: Hybrid work model (office in Hamburg, London, Madrid); fully flexible working hours; up to 4 weeks per year remote from anywhere.
- **Unlimited vacation**: No fixed cap on vacation days.
- **Other perks**: Financial and recreational benefits; a close-knit team of ~265 employees.
- **Engineering culture**: Cross-functional product teams; opportunities to work on high-traffic consumer platforms; tech stack not specified but likely modern web/mobile.
- **Diversity**: International team (locations in DE, UK, ES, PL); departments span technology, product, marketing, finance, legal, operations.

## Sources
1. [ZEAL Network Official Website – Company Overview](https://www.zealnetwork.de/)
2. [ZEAL Network At a Glance – Key Figures](https://www.zealnetwork.de/about-us/at-a-glance)
3. [ZEAL Career Page – Culture & Benefits](https://career.zealnetwork.de/)
4. [ZEAL Network LinkedIn Profile – Company Data & Headcount](https://de.linkedin.com/company/zealnetwork)
5. [ZEAL Network Corporate News – Q1 2026 Results & Product Expansion](https://www.zealnetwork.de/news)

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