Staff Engineer - Business Spend

Please note: applications will be open until Tuesday 13th October 2026 at 08.00 CEST.
We will not review any applications before the closing window so please don't rush to apply and use the time to submit a high quality application.

We want to ensure you are set-up for success and understand what will be expected of you. If your application is successful, our interview process is as follows:

1. Intro call: A 30-minute chat with our Talent Partner to discuss the role and your background.

2. Hiring Manager interview: A 60-minute experience-based conversation to deep dive into technical leadership experience, achievements and complexity you've been used to.

3. Core skills test: A 75-minute system-design interview with two of our engineers to deep dive into your architecture and problem solving skills.

4. Pleo challenge: A 60-minute presentation interview focusing on discussing one of your previous achievements.

5. Final interview: A 45-minute leadership interview assessing your behavioural skills and values.

Transparency is important to us so we also wanted to share some insights about what we're looking for in applications to ensure you can set yourself up for success!

Last time we hired a Staff Engineer, we received a total of 1258 applications but only 8 were selected for an intro call. With this in mind, we want to help you understand what we really care about when reviewing your application:

• We receive a lot of CVs, and many of them are AI-generated. We love seeing people leverage AI - it's a big focus for us internally too- but without human intervention, these CVs can sometimes become generic and fail to show a candidate in the best light. What we're really looking for is the specific details of real impact that only you - not AI - know from your previous experience. A top tip from us is to use the "Achieved X, as measured by Y, by doing Z" formula (credit: Laszlo Bock, ~2014) to give a really clear picture of what you've worked on. A final note: including links to your previous companies' websites is a huge help and allows us to truly understand your background.

• Every single application we receive is reviewed by a human (yes, hundreds of them) because we believe that candidates' efforts should be matched by an equal level of human care. This means that we expect a similar level of attention put into your application. Read and answer the application questions carefully, they make a huge difference in our decision-making process.

• The Staff seniority level at Pleo requires to have extensive experience operating as a technical lead / owner of initiatives that have cross team / domain impact in SaaS organisations of 500+ people. We're also looking for someone with significant experience architecting services across multiple domains (e.g. invoicing, subscription cards etc.) and with the ability to decouple complex legacy systems through an effective long-term delivery plan. If you do not have this experience, please do not apply. If you do have this experience, please ensure your CV truly reflects it.

Messy spend management is tricky business. And tedious processes are a lose-lose situation for all involved, not just finance. At Pleo, we're changing that. We build spend solutions that make managing money seamless, empowering, and surprisingly effective for finance teams and employees alike - with a vision to help all businesses 'go beyond'.

The word 'Pleo' actually means 'more than you'd expect', and living by that mantra has been the secret to our success over the last 10 years.

Now, we're at a pivotal moment in our journey; every move we make has a direct impact on our 40,000+ customers, our business, and our collective success. We need people who take pride in uncovering customer needs, who turn complex problems into simple solutions, challenge the way things are done (respectfully), and always aim high. With great ambitions driving us forward, we can't say we've got this whole thing figured out. And frankly, that's half the fun! What we can say is that we're a driven, progressive, and, importantly, a kind bunch of 850+ people from over 100 nationalities, all committed to delivering the future of business spending, together.

You'll report to our Engineering Manager in Business Spend and work closely with teams in accounting systems and card infrastructure. Our team of 10 is highly collaborative and dedicated to invoices and vendors. You'll also have the chance to partner with teams across product, design and compliance to ensure success.

• English first. Since it's our company language, please submit your application in English. You'll be using it a lot if you join us.

• A fair look for everyone. Our talent team reads every single application to ensure the process is fair. To keep things running smoothly, we only accept applications through our system-our support team can't pass on calls or emails.

• Diversity drives us. We can only reach our goals if our team reflects the world around us. That starts with you hitting apply, even if you don't tick every single box. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to join us.

• Interview at your best. We want you to feel comfortable throughout the process. If you have any accessibility requirements or need a specific format, email belonging@pleo.io. We'll design a process that works for you.

• Your data is safe. When you apply, we process your personal data as a data processor. For more information on how Pleo processes personal data, read our Privacy Policy here.

• Applying for multiple roles? Nothing is stopping you, and we assess every role independently. However, we do look for alignment, so make sure you can explain why your interest and experience are right for each specific role.

• Reapplying. If you're applying for the same role again, please wait six months from your last decision before hitting submit.