Staff Engineer - Absences

About Personio

Personio offers an intelligent HR platform designed to empower small and medium-sized enterprises by simplifying complex, time-consuming HR activities. With a workforce of 1,500 employees, they serve over 15,000 customers and their 1.5 million employees, creating user-centric products that truly make an impact.

Role Overview

This position is for a Staff Engineer in the Absences team, part of the Time area at Personio, based in Berlin, Munich, or London. The role requires working two days per week from the office, with remote work flexibility for the remaining days, plus 20 annual Flex Days allowing work from alternate locations. The engineer will influence how organizations across Europe manage leave and absences, shaping software architecture and technical direction in a high-stakes, deeply interconnected domain.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architectural design and set patterns for absence management systems, including accruals and entitlements, creating standards that teams willingly adopt.
• Tackle complex regulatory challenges by delivering straightforward yet robust solutions, personally contributing meaningful production code.
• Drive large, cross-team initiatives through complete life cycles, ensuring accountability for delivery quality and timelines.
• Model and encapsulate regulatory complexities that vary across markets such as Germany and Spain, concealing complexity rather than dispersing it.
• Maintain the accuracy and reliability of absence data feeding directly into payroll calculations, emphasizing correctness and explainability.
• Champion operational excellence by defining deployment, observability, and maintenance standards for critical services at scale.
• Mentor and guide senior engineers by providing design feedback and collaborating on challenging problems to elevate team-wide technical standards.

Candidate Requirements

• Proven expertise in backend and distributed system architectures, preferably in environments demanding high correctness and reliability.
• Systemic mindset capable of understanding service interrelationships and designing thoughtful interfaces.
• Strong architectural insight with a preference for simple, reliable solutions within a complex regulatory framework.
• Active involvement in production code alongside strategic leadership responsibilities.
• Experience leading multi-team, long-duration technical projects from conception through delivery.
• Deep understanding of operational best practices, including continuous integration/deployment and monitoring for service dependability.
• Ability to coach peers effectively and foster higher engineering standards within the organization.

Additional Information

Personio is committed to equal opportunity employment, fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace culture that celebrates diversity. This role balances in-person collaboration with remote flexibility, requiring two days per week on-site at your contracted office.

Benefits

• Comprehensive compensation including salary, benefits, and pre-IPO equity participation.
• 28 paid vacation days annually, with increments at 2 and 4 years of tenure.
• One fully paid Impact Day each year to pursue personal or social initiatives.
• Supportive family leave policies, mental health resources, and opportunities for sabbaticals.
• Engaging team events, well-stocked snack supplies, beverages, and weekly catered lunches.