EMPOWER OVERVIEW Empower is shaking up an outdated financial system by providing real opportunity for our customers: the opportunity to get the cash they need, to access fair credit, and to change their financial story. Today, we're helping millions of people find financial security through machine learning models that evaluate creditworthiness using a more inclusive lens and mobile-first products: Cash Advance, Thrive line of credit, and Petal credit cards. Tomorrow? Creating even more financial paths for our customers (and their wallets) to succeed.
This year, Empower ranked #65 on Inc. 5000's Fastest-Growing Private Companies list — our third year in a row cracking the top 100 — and was named by Forbes as one of the 25 Next Billion-Dollar Startups for 2024. Empower was also featured by Forbes on America's Best Startup Employers list in 2023, and our Thrive line of credit product was named by Fast Company as one of 2022's Next Big Things in Tech.
Empower is backed by Sequoia Capital, Blisce, and Icon Ventures. Ready to grow your impact and accelerate your career? Take a look at our open roles — we can't wait to meet you.
THE EMPOWER WAY Great Expectations: We come up with bold, audacious goals for ourselves and go all out for impact
Owner Mindset: We give every employee latitude to act independently, make smart choices, and move the business forward
Spirited Debate: We love skeptics and seek counter opinions to challenge our personal assumptions and expand our view
Customer Obsession: We listen to understand, empathize, and create a memorable, rewarding experience for our community
Inclusive Collaboration: We believe diverse teams make the best decisions, and we strive to give diverse voices a seat at the table
No Jerks Allowed: We value our relationships and take the time to build trust and connection and communicate respectfully
WHAT EMPOWER OFFERS Competitive salary
Generous equity package
Full healthcare benefits
Technology expense reimbursement
Work from anywhere
JOB DESCRIPTION As a Backend Server Software Engineer, you'll work on the engine that powers the Empower apps and business. You'll engage with a collaborative, high powered team to develop solutions and lead product engineering on projects with a reach of millions. The solutions you'll build will be robust, secure and easy to understand both for our users and your engineering peers.
You'll take end to end ownership of new features and product lines shaping work in early stages, building, deploying and running post deployment analysis to ensure we're hitting our goals. Travel for company offsites is expected at a minimum 2 times a year.
Key Responsibilities Designing, building, and deploying server application code that interfaces with 3rd party clients and Empower
Implementing secure coding standards in accordance with the Empower Secure Development Policy
Perform on-going security testing and code review to improve software security
Monitoring the performance of the Empower server application and applying corrective action through bug fixing and improved solutions
Minimising defects and improving reliability through: Development of automated tests, manual test validation, development of fit for purpose architecture and code, contributing to PRs
Developing and maintaining the server app build and deployment pipelineCollaborating cross-functionally to define, design and ship new features that create customer and business value
Working with business and operations stakeholders for the definition and development of business requirements
Contributing to server/client contract API definition
Architecting solutions that interface into 3rd parties and the Empower mobile client
Maximising effective development and identifying new technology opportunities by: Keeping across .NET development announcements, being across community best practice, discovering and evaluating new technologies
Participating in the server ops on call schedule
Candidate Qualifications Bachelor degree or greater within Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related subject
3+ years developing web APIs within .NET (C#)
Working experience with ORMs such as Entity Framework
Working experience constructing and optimising RDMS queries
Working experience within the asynchronous programming model
At Empower, we hire for people that push themselves to understand others and seek out ways to challenge their personal assumptions. Our hope is that by fostering such an environment, we strengthen our business and relationships by putting people first. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workspace where everyone (regardless of age, education, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any personal characteristics) feels like they belong. Even if your experience doesn't exactly match up to our job description, you should feel empowered to apply regardless!