Principal Software Engineer - Backend (Remote)

About Unico

Unico is the world’s largest identity verification network, building secure digital infrastructure that enables trusted transactions across financial institutions, enterprises, and governments. Our systems process 1.2b  of transactions annually, leveraging biometrics, machine learning, and secure distributed systems to prevent fraud and protect digital identities.

• Do the right thing the right way.

• Drive impact, plain and simple.

• Have the courage to take the risk, own the error and evolve fast.

• Choose productive conflict over comfortable silence.

• Hire people better than you. The goal is to always raise the bar.

• Solve locally, scale globally.

 

Our work environment is collaborative and dynamic, full of opportunities to learn and grow. Here, you’ll find the autonomy to develop your career with the support of leaders and colleagues along the way.

 

Role Mission

 

What you'll do

You will be the technical reference in one of the most critical areas of the digital identity platform. In practice, this means:

• Leading the architectural evolution of high-scale backend services written in Java/Kotlin, with a focus on reliability, latency, and resilience.

• Identifying and tackling performance bottlenecks, technical debt, and systemic risks before they become incidents.

• Being the person the team turns to on difficult trade-offs — and who can defend the right decision even when it's unpopular.

• Working directly with Product and other engineering areas to translate complex requirements into solid technical solutions.

• Raising the team's technical level through code reviews, mentoring, and defining engineering standards.

• Contributing to the developer experience — well-designed APIs, documentation that actually exists, deployments that don't frighten anyone.

 

This is not a management role. You will continue writing code and diving deep into technical problems — the difference is that your impact goes beyond the PR you open.

 

What we're looking for

We are looking for someone with a strong software engineering foundation and the ability to operate with technical autonomy on complex problems. Key characteristics for this position:

• Technical proficiency: Proven ability to design, develop, and evolve complex distributed systems, with a focus on scalability, performance, and reliability.
• Problem-solving: Ability to break down complex problems into smaller challenges and find elegant, efficient solutions.
• Business vision: Understanding of how technical decisions impact product, customer experience, and business results.
• Technological versatility: Solid software engineering foundation that allows transitioning between different technologies, languages, and paradigms.
• Technical leadership: Ability to positively influence the team, mentor other engineers, and raise the organization's technical level.
• Innovation and critical thinking: Curiosity and initiative to explore new approaches and challenge the status quo when necessary.

 

Benefits of Becoming a Ser Unico

• Flexible benefit: R$1,500/month that can be allocated across Food/Meal Voucher, Culture, Mobility, and Vacation Flex.
• Home office allowance: Monthly stipend for utilities and consumption.
• Profit sharing (PLR): Eligible for Profit and Results Sharing as per union agreement.
• Health: Medical and dental insurance.
• Life insurance.
• Birthday day off and day off on your children's birthdays.
• Education: Free access to the Unico Skill education platform, where you can choose from undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA, language, specialization courses, or mentoring sessions at no cost.
• Wellbeing: Access to Gympass and Totalpass platforms; internal health promotion program with bioimpedance campaigns, physical activities, indoor studio classes, running events, periodic massages. Holiday extensions and year-end recess to value rest.
• Career: Structured career plan aligned with your skills and interests, with growth opportunities as a specialist or leader, encouraging personal and professional development through semi-annual performance review cycles (with structured feedback and individual development plan).
• Recognition: Two annual merit/promotion cycles; internal program to recognize performance, achievements, and attitudes that make a difference and acknowledge the impact each Ser generates individually or collectively.

 

Work Model

100% remote, no exceptions. Office presence may occur at annual events or team integrations — always with prior notice.