Preparation should focus on demonstrating both your technical depth and your ability to function as a collaborative team member. You should be prepared to discuss your past projects in detail, focusing on your specific contributions and the reasoning behind your architectural choices.

Role-related knowledge – You must be comfortable discussing your primary programming language and framework, as well as the underlying principles of the systems you have built. Expect to explain not just what you did, but why you chose a specific path over alternatives.

Problem-solving ability – We value engineers who can structure their thoughts clearly. When faced with a technical challenge or a take-home assignment, clearly communicate your assumptions, your proposed solution, and how you would iterate on it.

Culture fit & Communication – We look for transparency and honesty. Be prepared to discuss your successes and failures with equal clarity. We value engineers who are proactive in their communication and who respect the time and input of their colleagues.

Our interview process is designed to evaluate both your technical capability and your potential to contribute to our team culture. It typically begins with an initial screening to align on expectations, followed by a deeper technical assessment. This often involves a take-home assignment or a live discussion about architectural design and project history.

The middle stages of our process are centered on technical depth. You will typically meet with team leads and senior engineers to discuss your code, system design, and overall approach to engineering. The final stages focus on alignment with the product vision and team culture, involving discussions with product managers and other leadership stakeholders.

The timeline above represents a standard progression, but please note that the intensity and number of rounds can vary based on the specific team's needs and the seniority of the role. Use this structure to pace your preparation, ensuring you have enough time to review your past projects and practice articulating your design decisions.

Technical Depth & Implementation

We assess your ability to write clean, maintainable, and efficient code. You should be ready to discuss the trade-offs in your implementation choices.

Be ready to go over:

• Code Quality – How you write testable and readable code.
• Testing Strategies – Your approach to unit, integration, and end-to-end testing.
• Performance Optimization – Techniques you use to identify and resolve bottlenecks.

Example scenarios:

• "Walk us through your thought process for this take-home assignment."
• "How would you optimize this specific API endpoint for lower latency?"

Architectural Thinking

Understanding how your code fits into the larger system is crucial. We look for engineers who consider the long-term impact of their designs.

Be ready to go over:

• System Design – Designing scalable, distributed services.
• Event-Driven Architectures – Managing state and data consistency across services.
• Database Design – Choosing the right storage solutions for specific data patterns.

Example scenarios:

• "How would you handle a sudden spike in traffic for this service?"
• "What are the risks of this architectural approach, and how would you mitigate them?"

As a Software Engineer at Billie, your primary responsibility is to deliver high-quality, reliable features that solve real financial problems. You will spend a significant portion of your time coding, but you will also participate in architectural reviews, code reviews, and cross-functional planning sessions.

Collaboration is key. You will work closely with Product Managers to refine requirements and with other engineers to ensure that our technical standards remain high. You are expected to be an active participant in our team meetings, contributing your insights to help us build a better, more efficient platform.

A strong candidate for this role possesses a mix of deep technical expertise and strong communication skills.

• Must-have skills: Proficient in modern backend technologies (such as Java/Spring, Kotlin, or similar), experience with distributed systems, and a solid understanding of database design.
• Nice-to-have skills: Experience with cloud-native infrastructure (AWS/GCP), familiarity with event-driven architectures, and previous experience in the fintech or high-volume transaction space.
• Soft skills: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, strong problem-solving skills, and a collaborative mindset.

Q: How long does the interview process typically take? The process varies, but typically spans 3–6 weeks from initial screen to final decision. We aim for transparency, though timelines can shift based on internal hiring priorities.

Q: Is there live coding in the interviews? Some rounds are purely discussion-based, focusing on your past projects and architectural thinking. Others may involve a take-home assignment followed by a pairing session to discuss your code.

Q: What is the most important thing to prepare? Focus on being able to clearly explain your past work. You should be able to articulate the technical challenges you faced, your specific role in solving them, and the impact of your work.

Q: What is the culture like? We are a fast-moving, pragmatic team that values results and honest communication. We work hard, but we also prioritize learning and continuous improvement.

• Be honest about your experience: If you don't know the answer to a technical question, it is better to explain how you would find the answer rather than guessing.
• Prepare your stories: Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers for behavioral questions.
• Ask questions: We evaluate you not just on your answers, but on the questions you ask us. Use this opportunity to understand our challenges and our team dynamics.
• Focus on the "Why": Don't just explain what you did; explain why you chose that approach over other common patterns.

Joining Billie as a Software Engineer offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of financial technology. Your work will have a tangible impact on our users and our business, and you will be surrounded by a team of talented, driven professionals.

Focus your preparation on your past project experiences, your ability to think critically about system design, and your communication style. By clearly articulating your past contributions and demonstrating a pragmatic approach to problem-solving, you will be well-positioned to succeed in our process. We look forward to seeing the unique perspective you can bring to our engineering team.