Backend Team Lead (Java/Spring Boot) - Neon team

We at Holycode are currently looking for a Backend Team Lead (Java/Spring Boot) with strong skills and proven experience who is ready to dive into the Neon project team, for a full-time engagement, to join our company of passionate IT professionals.About Neon Neon is a Zurich-based fintech startup on a mission to disrupt the Swiss banking industry and become Switzerland's #1 bank account. With over 250,000 users and a passionate team, we're proud of what we've achieved—and we're ready for the next chapter.How We WorkWe combine excellent UX/UI with data-driven decision-makingWe focus heavily on automation, CI/CD, and reproducible environmentsWe believe in ownership, calculated risks, and always putting the customer firstWe encourage open discussions, technical excellence, and continuous improvementCollaboration, respect, support, and social engagement are at the heart of our mighty tech teamA note on this roleWe're looking for someone who leads with people first. Technical skill matters, but what we care about most is your ability to grow engineers, build trust, navigate conflict, and create an environment where the team does its best work. If you have solid backend fundamentals and real experience leading a team, we'd rather have that than a purely technical expert without leadership experience.What You'll DoLead and grow a team of backend engineers — owning mentoring, 1:1s, performance feedback, and career developmentBuild trust and psychological safety within the team, and be the person engineers can bring problems toDrive planning, prioritization, and delivery in an agile Kanban environment, balancing technical debt with feature velocityRepresent your team in cross-functional and leadership discussions, aligning with product owners, QA, and platform teamsStay hands-on with backend work (Java 21, Spring Boot 3, REST APIs, Kubernetes) where it helps you support the team and stay close to the codebaseRun code reviews and knowledge-sharing sessions to raise the team's overall barShape technical direction collaboratively — bringing the team along rather than dictating from the topOur Tech StackJava 21, Spring Boot 3, JPA/Hibernate, REST APIsAngularMySQL, PostgreSQLGoogle Cloud Platform, KubernetesKey QualificationsPrior experience as a Team Lead or Engineering Manager — this is a mustDemonstrated ability to mentor, develop, and grow engineersStrong communication skills and comfort navigating team or interpersonal challengesSolid experience building production-grade Java applications — you don't need to be the strongest engineer in the room, but you need enough depth to earn technical credibilityWorking knowledge of backend architecture, SQL, REST APIs, and microservicesFamiliarity with CI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practicesFluent in spoken and written English (German or other related languages are a plus)Living in Belgrade or willing to come to the office at least 2 days per week (hybrid model)Why you'll love working here:Private health insuranceEquipment of your choice (laptop, monitor, accessories)High-growth company with innovative productsSupportive, international teamBudget for professional development (courses, books, conferences)English and German language lessons during working hoursNice office in Belgrade with a stocked kitchen and game areaOpportunity to learn, grow, and make a real impactIf you are looking for an environment where you can grow professionally, learn from the best in the field, balance work and life habits and have a pleasant and enthusiastic environment, please submit your CV in English.