Zeta is Hiring: Software Development Engineer | Finsplitz

Introduction

 

Are you a highly skilled and ambitious Software Development Engineer looking to shape the future of banking and payments? Zeta, a next-gen banking tech company, is revolutionizing the financial services industry with its full-stack, cloud-native, and API-first neo-banking platform. With significant funding from SoftBank and Mastercard, and partnerships with leading banks like RBL Bank, IDFC First Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, Zeta is a global force in fintech. Zeta is actively seeking talented Software Development Engineers for its dynamic teams in India, primarily in Bengaluru and Mumbai. As an SDE at Zeta, you’ll be building highly scalable, secure, and resilient transaction processing systems and digital banking solutions that are used by millions of users and thousands of corporates. If you thrive on solving hard problems, building cutting-edge infrastructure, and making a tangible impact on the digital financial landscape, Zeta offers an unparalleled opportunity to grow your career and work with some of the brightest minds in the industry.

 

Roles and Responsibilities

 

A Software Development Engineer (SDE) at Zeta is at the core of building their cloud-native, API-first banking and payments platform. This role involves designing, developing, testing, and deploying high-performance, fault-tolerant, and secure systems that handle massive transaction volumes. The specific responsibilities depend on the team (e.g., Digital Core, Payments Engine, Credit Card Management, Neo-banking products) but generally revolve around core backend development.

Typical responsibilities for a Software Development Engineer at Zeta include:

• System Design & Architecture:
  • Participating in the design and architecture of highly scalable, secure, and available distributed systems.
  • Translating product requirements into robust technical designs, ensuring maintainability and future extensibility.
  • Reviewing and influencing new evolving design, architecture, standards, and methods with stability, maintainability, and scale in mind.
• Backend Development:
  • Writing clean, efficient, and well-tested code primarily in Java (with Spring/Spring Boot) or other relevant languages (e.g., Golang, Python), focusing on microservices architecture.
  • Building and optimizing RESTful APIs for various banking and payment products.
  • Working with relational databases like PostgreSQL and NoSQL databases, ensuring efficient data storage and retrieval, and handling complex transactions.
• Performance & Scalability:
  • Focusing on optimizing the latency and throughput of services for high-volume transaction processing systems.
  • Deep understanding of concurrency, synchronization, NIO, memory allocation, and Garbage Collection for performance-critical applications.
  • Identifying patterns and providing solutions to a class of problems related to scaling and distributed systems.
• Security & Cryptography:
  • Implementing cutting-edge cryptography and security best practices to secure payments beyond industry standards.
  • Ensuring compliance with BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) security regulations.
• Cloud-Native Development:
  • Working extensively with cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud) and leveraging cloud-native technologies (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker, Helm, Prometheus).
  • Developing and maintaining Kubernetes operators or custom controllers for automated deployment and management of complex applications.
  • Experience with CI/CD practices in a Kubernetes environment and relevant toolsets.
• Data Handling:
  • Deriving actionable insights by mining terabytes of data.
  • Experience with messaging systems like Kafka for asynchronous communication in distributed systems.
• Collaboration & Mentorship:
  • Collaborating with various product teams to gather requirements and add capabilities.
  • Participating actively in code reviews, contributing to technical documentation, and sharing knowledge within the team.
  • Mentoring junior engineers and contributing to a culture of technical excellence.
• Research & Innovation:
  • Researching, evaluating, and socializing new tools, technologies, and techniques to improve the value of the system.
  • Pushing the boundaries of network performance for low-level infrastructure.

Zeta SDEs are expected to take strong ownership of their products, be highly detail-oriented, and thrive in an environment that prioritizes building robust, secure, and performant systems for the demanding fintech industry.

 

Salary and Benefits

 

Zeta offers highly competitive compensation packages for Software Development Engineers in India, reflecting its status as a fast-growing, well-funded fintech unicorn. The total compensation typically includes a strong base salary, performance-linked bonuses, and a significant equity component (ESOPs or RSUs), aligning with top-tier product companies in India.

• Average Annual CTC (Cost to Company) in India (as of late 2024/early 2025 data):
  • Software Development Engineer L1 (Entry-Level / 0-2 years experience): The typical annual CTC ranges from ₹18 lakhs to ₹25 lakhs per annum. This includes a base salary of around ₹15.6 lakhs to ₹20 lakhs, plus stock and bonus. For freshers from premier institutes, the packages are generally at the higher end.
  • Software Development Engineer L2 (2-5 years experience): The average annual CTC can range from ₹30 lakhs to ₹40 lakhs per annum, with a higher base salary (₹28 lakhs to ₹35 lakhs) and a more significant stock component.
  • Software Development Engineer L3 / Senior SDE (5-8 years experience): The average annual CTC can range from ₹40 lakhs to ₹55 lakhs+ per annum, with substantial base, stock, and bonus components, reflecting deep technical expertise and leadership.
  • Lead / Principal SDE (8+ years experience): For highly experienced individual contributors, CTC can exceed ₹60 lakhs – ₹70 lakhs+ per annum, driven by significant stock options and impact.
  • Note: These figures are indicative and based on recent market data. They can vary based on the specific team, specialized skills (e.g., deep expertise in distributed systems, low-latency trading, specific cloud platforms), individual interview performance, and market dynamics. Zeta is known for offering top-of-market compensation for strong talent.
• Comprehensive Benefits and Perks: Zeta provides a robust and employee-friendly benefits package, designed to attract and retain top engineering talent.
  • Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical insurance coverage for employees and their families, life insurance, and accidental insurance. Access to wellness programs.
  • Financial Benefits: Provident Fund (PF), Gratuity, and competitive performance-based annual bonuses. A key component is Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs) or Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). Zeta’s ESOPs typically have a 4-year vesting schedule (e.g., 10% in year 1, 20% in year 2, 30% in year 3, 40% in year 4), providing significant long-term wealth creation opportunities as the company grows.
  • Paid Time Off: Generous leave policies, including privilege leave, casual leave, sick leave, and public holidays.
  • Learning & Development: Strong emphasis on continuous learning. Opportunities for professional development through internal training programs, access to online learning platforms, and support for industry certifications. Zeta encourages engineers to stay updated on cutting-edge technologies relevant to fintech.
  • Career Progression: Clear technical career ladders allowing progression from SDE to Senior SDE, Lead SDE, Principal SDE, and even Architect/Technical Fellow roles (individual contributor track), as well as opportunities for engineering management.
  • Global Exposure: Opportunity to work with global teams and contribute to products used by clients across India, Asia, and LATAM.
  • Work-Life Integration: While a fast-paced environment, Zeta aims to foster a healthy work-life balance.
  • Culture: A vibrant and flat organizational culture that emphasizes autonomy, diversity of thought, problem-solving, and making a real impact. They believe in solving hard problems with great solutions.
  • Other Perks: May include meal benefits, transport allowances, and other standard corporate perks.

 

Eligibility Criteria

 

Zeta seeks Software Development Engineers who possess a strong foundation in computer science, exceptional problem-solving skills, and a keen interest in building large-scale, high-performance systems for the fintech domain.

• Educational Qualification:
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (B.E./B.Tech/M.E./M.Tech/MS/MCA) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related engineering discipline from a recognized university.
  • A strong academic record is highly preferred.
• Experience:
  • For Entry-Level (0-1 year experience): Fresh graduates with a strong command of Data Structures & Algorithms, excellent problem-solving abilities, significant academic projects, and relevant internships in backend development.
  • For Experienced Roles (1+ years experience): Minimum of 1+ years of hands-on software development experience building enterprise-grade systems, preferably in fintech, e-commerce, or other high-throughput domains.
• Key Technical Skills (Essential):
  • Programming Languages: Strong proficiency in Java is highly preferred, especially with Java 8+ features. Experience with other languages like Golang, Python, or C# may also be considered depending on the team.
  • Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): Excellent command of DSA and ability to apply them to solve complex problems. This is a critical evaluation area.
  • Backend Frameworks: Hands-on experience with Spring Boot for building RESTful APIs and microservices. Familiarity with other frameworks like Hibernate (for Java).
  • Databases: Strong knowledge of relational databases like PostgreSQL (preferred), MySQL, and experience with database design, SQL querying, and transaction management. Familiarity with NoSQL databases is a plus.
  • Distributed Systems: Good understanding of the nuances of distributed systems, including concepts of scalability, availability, concurrency, and fault tolerance.
  • System Design: Ability to design and articulate solutions for large-scale, high-performance systems.
  • Version Control: Proficiency with Git (GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab).
  • Operating Systems: Basic understanding of Linux and scripting.
• Key Technical Skills (Highly Desirable/Good to Have):
  • Cloud Platforms: Experience with IaaS clouds like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
  • Microservices Architecture: Practical experience designing, building, and deploying microservices.
  • Messaging Systems: Experience with message brokers like Kafka or RabbitMQ.
  • Containerization & Orchestration: Knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes concepts, building custom controllers/operators, and CI/CD practices in a Kubernetes environment.
  • Performance Optimization: In-depth understanding of memory allocation, Garbage Collection, and network performance.
  • Security & Cryptography: Awareness of secure coding practices and cryptographic principles, especially relevant to payments.
  • Monitoring & Logging: Familiarity with tools like ELK stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana), Prometheus, Grafana.
  • Agile Methodologies: Experience working in an Agile/Scrum development environment.
• Key Soft Skills:
  • Exceptional Problem-Solving: Ability to break down complex problems, think critically, and devise innovative, efficient, and robust solutions.
  • Excellent Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to articulate complex technical ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: Ability to work effectively in highly collaborative, cross-functional, and often global teams.
  • Ownership & Proactiveness: Demonstrates strong ownership of products and features, taking initiative to drive projects to completion.
  • Learning Agility: High curiosity and eagerness to learn new technologies, tools, and complex fintech domains quickly and continuously.
  • Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving startup-like environment within a well-established company.

 

Application Process

 

Zeta’s hiring process for Software Development Engineers is highly selective and technically intensive, designed to identify candidates with exceptional problem-solving abilities, strong coding skills, and a deep understanding of distributed systems and software engineering principles.

1. Online Application:
   • Candidates apply through Zeta’s official careers portal (careers.zeta.tech) or through referrals.
   • Submit a comprehensive Resume/CV that clearly showcases your educational background, relevant projects (academic or professional), specific technical skills, and any internships or professional experience. Tailor your resume to highlight experience with the tech stack and distributed systems.
2. Resume Screening:
   • Recruiters and engineering managers review applications to shortlist candidates with the strongest alignment to the role’s requirements.
3. Online Assessment (Potential):
   • For entry-level or some experience levels, there might be an online coding assessment (e.g., on HackerRank or a similar platform). This typically includes 2-3 algorithmic coding problems (DSA-focused) to be solved within a time limit.
4. Technical Phone Interview / Initial Technical Screen (1 round):
   • A 30-60 minute telephonic or video call with a Zeta engineer.
   • Focus: Discussing your resume, project experience, and fundamental concepts of Data Structures & Algorithms. You might be asked to discuss approaches to a coding problem without writing code.
5. Technical Interview Rounds (2-4 rounds, virtual or in-person):
   • Candidates who clear the initial screen proceed to multiple in-depth technical interviews. These rounds are highly focused on practical problem-solving and system design.
   • DSA & Live Coding: Expect at least one to two rounds focused solely on Data Structures & Algorithms. You will be asked to write code for medium-to-hard difficulty problems, articulating your thought process, time/space complexity, and test cases.
   • System Design: For experienced roles, at least one dedicated system design round is typical. You will be asked to design a scalable system (e.g., a payment gateway, a digital banking platform feature), covering requirements, high-level and low-level design, API design, database schema, scaling strategies, fault tolerance, and trade-offs.
   • Core Concepts & Tech Stack: Deep dive into your chosen programming language (e.g., Java concurrency, JVM internals, Spring Boot intricacies), distributed systems concepts (CAP theorem, consistency models, messaging queues), databases (SQL optimization, transactions, NoSQL types), and cloud technologies.
   • Project Deep Dive: Detailed discussions of your past projects, focusing on technical challenges, design choices, and your specific contributions.
6. Hiring Manager / Director Interview (1 round):
   • This round assesses your technical depth, leadership potential, problem-solving approach in real-world scenarios, and cultural fit.
   • Questions often cover your experience with complex technical challenges, how you handle ambiguity, your vision for product development, and how you would contribute to the team’s goals.
7. HR Interview:
   • A final discussion covering compensation expectations, benefits, company culture, and mutual fit.
8. Offer & Background Check:
   • If successful, a formal offer is extended, followed by a comprehensive background verification process.

Preparation Tips:

• Master Data Structures & Algorithms: Practice regularly on platforms like LeetCode (medium to hard problems). Understand time and space complexity thoroughly.
• Deep Dive into Core Java (or your preferred language): If applying for Java roles, understand multithreading, JVM, garbage collection, Spring Boot, and microservices architecture.
• Practice System Design: For experienced roles, study common system design patterns, scalability concepts, and fault tolerance. Practice designing various systems end-to-end.
• SQL Proficiency: Be strong in advanced SQL queries, joins, and database concepts.
• Distributed Systems Knowledge: Understand concepts like CAP theorem, consistency, message queues, and inter-service communication.
• Cloud & DevOps Basics: Familiarize yourself with AWS/GCP services, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Prepare for Behavioral Questions: Have concrete examples using the STAR method for questions on teamwork, conflict resolution, technical challenges, and learning new technologies.
• Research Zeta & Fintech: Understand Zeta’s products (Tachyon, Omni Stack), its mission to disrupt banking, and the challenges and opportunities in the fintech space. This demonstrates genuine interest and domain awareness.
• Communicate Effectively: Articulate your thought process clearly during coding and design interviews. Ask clarifying questions.

 

Conclusion

 

A career as a Software Development Engineer at Zeta in India is an exhilarating prospect for those who aspire to build foundational technology for the global financial ecosystem. You’ll be challenged to solve complex engineering problems at scale, leveraging cutting-edge cloud-native architectures and secure payment technologies. If you possess a robust technical foundation, a passion for innovation, and a desire to contribute to a company that’s truly transforming the future of banking, Zeta provides an exceptional platform for significant professional growth and impact.