About the role

Behind every Kernel account is a Kiwi working towards something: a first home, a comfortable retirement, or just a bit more freedom. They trust us with their savings, and the systems you build are how we keep that trust.

We're growing our engineering team and hiring Software Engineers to build and run the backend services behind our investment platform. You'll join a small product team of 3–5 engineers, work closely with Product and Design, and report to your Engineering Manager. You'll own real features from day one, with experienced engineers around you to pair with, learn from and challenge.

This role is based in our Auckland office, with at least 3 days a week on site.

About Kernel

We're a 100% Kiwi owned and operated fintech on a mission to make wealth accessible for every Kiwi. Our investment platform brings together KiwiSaver, Managed Funds, US shares and ETFs, and Smart Saver accounts, all in one place, and is trusted by 85,000+ investors.

We're at an exciting stage: scaling fast, expanding our team and building the foundations for what's next. Our culture is collaborative, hands-on and ambitious, built on trust, innovation and saying it like it is. Things move quickly here, and every person plays a key role in shaping our future.

Engineering at Kernel

What you'll build

• Features customers use every day to manage their KiwiSaver, investments and savings

• Services that move and track real money, where being right matters more than being first

• Core financial capabilities we're bringing in-house, so we own more of what happens to every dollar

• Reliable connections to the banks, fund managers and partners behind every transaction

• The systems that got us here, reshaped to scale with more teams and more customers

How we build

• C# and .NET, written in a functional style that puts correctness, clarity and testability ahead of clever shortcuts

• Almost entirely serverless on AWS: event-driven services on Lambda, with DynamoDB at the core

• GitHub and GitHub Actions for CI/CD, with infrastructure as code on our roadmap

• AI-native by default: everyone gets a Claude licence, paid for by Kernel, and we build with Claude Code every day, so more of the job is design, trade-offs and making sure what ships is right

• Correctness over speed: when it's people's savings, a clear "service unavailable" beats a wrong number every time

How we work

• Small, stream-aligned teams of 3–5 engineers, each focused on one area of the platform

• Plan properly up front to surface risks, then deliver in small milestones that each add real value

• Work in 1–2 week cycles with regular check-ins and retros, not rigid sprints or long release plans

• Ship as often as we can, using feature flags where needed

• Engineers own quality, with QAs who coach and advocate rather than test for you

• Pairing, mobbing and whiteboarding are part of everyday work

What you'll do

• Build, test and run backend services, APIs and integrations in C# and .NET on AWS

• Own features end to end, from planning and design through to running them reliably in production

• Write clean, functional-style code that handles errors and edge cases, not just the happy path

• Build with Claude Code every day, while owning the quality of everything you ship

• Build in testing and observability from the start, and help fix issues when things go wrong in production

• Pair, review code and whiteboard with your team, learning from senior engineers and sharing what you know

• Partner with Product and Design to turn customer problems into reliable, well-built features

• Spot problems and fix them, without waiting to be asked

You'll be great if you bring

• Commercial experience building backend services in C# and .NET

• Experience shipping your own work to production and supporting it once it's live

• Cloud-native experience, ideally on AWS (strong Azure experience counts too)

• A good understanding of APIs, event-driven systems and how services talk to each other

• Everyday, hands-on use of AI coding tools, and the judgement to check and stand behind what they produce

• Good habits around testing, code review and keeping technical debt in check

• Clear communication, whether you're talking through a design at the whiteboard or giving feedback on a pull request

• Curiosity, and the drive to learn quickly, ask good questions and act on feedback

• Comfort with high ownership in a small team, where your work has a visible impact

Bonus things you could bring

• Experience with DynamoDB or other NoSQL databases, not just relational SQL

• Hands-on experience with serverless services such as AWS Lambda

• Exposure to functional programming, in C#, F# or another language

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines such as GitHub Actions, or infrastructure as code

• Side projects that show how you like to learn and build

Why you'll love it at Kernel

• Own meaningful work early, in a team where your ideas and decisions shape the platform

• Grow your career with clear engineering levels and experienced engineers who make time to coach

• Work on problems with real stakes: people's savings, and a platform at a pivotal stage of growth

• Join a team built on trust, collaboration and flexibility, where feedback is constructive and everyone has a voice

• Competitive pay, reviewed annually, plus an annual performance bonus

• Enjoy the best of both worlds with a flexible hybrid setup: connect in person while keeping the freedom to work from home up to a couple of days each week (minimum 3 days a week in the office)

• Southern Cross health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions, with discounted cover for your family

• A 13-week parental leave top-up to full pay, and free, confidential wellbeing support through our EAP

• Professional development support and a learning budget

• Extra Kernel holidays, office snacks, coffee and a dog-friendly office

Join our team

Not sure you meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply. We value growth, impact and mindset just as much as specific experience.

To be considered, you'll need the right to work in New Zealand and to be based in Auckland, or already relocating here.

If this opportunity sounds like you, send us your cover letter explaining why you're excited about the role and working at Kernel, along with your CV.
Visit our careers page for more on working at Kernel and follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram. to stay connected.