Senior Software Engineer

The Challenge

Tired of endless meetings where nothing gets decided? Frustrated by corporate bureaucracy that slows down actual building? Ready to work on technology that actually moves the needle?

We're building the Adyen of the labor market. Just like Adyen revolutionized payments, we're transforming how people get contracted and paid in the Netherlands. It's a complex problem space - think CAO's, temporary employment regulations, payroll rules, and constantly changing legislation - that desperately needs a modern, scalable solution.

This isn't just another SaaS product. This is infrastructure for the future of work.

Who We Are

Maqqie is one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the Netherlands. We're in scale-up mode, which means we're past the chaos of early startup life but still small enough that your work directly impacts thousands of workers and hundreds of companies. No layers of management between your code and real impact.

Our mission: create a digital labor market that works better for everyone. Currently, we handle contracting and payments for all employment types - from permanent employees to temporary workers and freelancers. The regulatory complexity is immense, which makes the technical challenge fascinating.

What You'll Actually Do

As Senior Backend Engineer, you'll be:

Architecting solutions that matter: Design and build scalable systems that handle the intricate logic of Dutch employment law. Think complex rule engines, automated compliance checks, and payment orchestration across multiple contract types.

Leading technical direction: Act as technical lead on projects that shape our platform architecture. You'll collaborate with Product to define scope and milestones, but you'll own the technical decisions.

Solving genuinely hard problems: Our domain is complex - CAO compliance, phase systems, benefit calculations, multi-entity payroll. This isn't CRUD. You'll need to understand both the technical and business context deeply.

Building for scale: Optimize performance, eliminate bottlenecks, and ensure our systems can handle rapid growth without breaking. We're building the payment engine for the entire labor market.

Growing the team: Mentor junior engineers and help us hire the next wave of talent. Shape our engineering culture as we scale.

You'll work in cross-functional teams with Product and Operations. We're 15 engineers across 3 teams, reporting to Luc Klaassen, our Head of Engineering. Small enough to know everyone, big enough to tackle serious challenges.

The Technical Landscape

Our stack:

• Languages: Kotlin/Java, TypeScript, Vue

• Infrastructure: Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes, Docker

• CI/CD: GitLab Pipelines, Jenkins

• Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL

• Build tools: Gradle, Maven

We're continuously modernizing. Legacy exists (we're honest about that), but we're actively addressing technical debt while building new scalable modules. You'll have real influence on our architectural direction.

What We're Looking For

Essential:

• 5+ years of software development with a track record of shipping quality code

• Strong technical foundation in backend development

• Experience with our stack (or rapid learning ability if you're coming from similar technologies)

• Ability to serve as technical lead and drive projects forward

• Strong communication skills - you can explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders

What matters more:

• You get energy from solving complex domain problems, not just writing code

• You want autonomy and responsibility, not hand-holding

• You're allergic to unnecessary process and bureaucracy

• You think about business impact, not just technical elegance

• You want to see your work make a visible difference

Education: We care more about what you can build than where you studied, but typically this means a Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

Not exactly this profile but think you'd crush it? Talk to us. We value potential and attitude over checkbox ticking.

Why You'd Choose Maqqie

Freedom: Determine your own approach. We're pragmatic, not dogmatic. No endless approval chains or corporate theater.

Impact: Your code directly affects how thousands of people get paid and contracted. You'll see the results of your work in the real world, not buried in some enterprise system.

Technical challenge: This is genuinely complex work. Employment law, regulatory compliance, multi-party transactions, edge cases galore. It requires both technical skill and domain understanding.

Scale-up energy: We're past the startup chaos but still small enough that you know everyone. You'll have significant influence on our technical direction and culture.

Team: Work with smart, pragmatic people who care about building great products. We work hard but we also laugh a lot. Team events, Viking Runs, cooking together - we actually like each other.

Growth: Room to develop technically and take on more responsibility without being forced into pure management.

What We Offer

Compensation:

• Gross salary: €4,500 - €6,500 per month (based on 40 hours, depending on experience)

• 8% holiday pay

• 8% pension contribution (use it how you want)

• 25 vacation days (based on 40 hours)

Development:

• €2,000 annual training budget

• Mentorship and growth opportunities

• Real technical challenges that expand your skills

Work environment:

• Hybrid working (office, home, or temporarily abroad)

• Central Rotterdam location (Coolsingel, opposite City Hall, 5 min from Central Station)

• Group lunches and plenty of nearby dining options

• Laptop and necessary equipment

Culture:

• Active staff association with outings and drinks

• Flexible budget of €40/month (Alleo) for sports, wellness, investments

• Average age is 33 - young and ambitious team

• Freedom from day one to do your thing

The Reality Check

We're a scale-up, which means:

• We have legacy code and technical debt (we're actively addressing it)

• The domain is complex - you'll need to learn about Dutch employment law

• We're building the foundation while the train is moving

• Things move fast, priorities can shift

We start with a contract that includes a two-month probation period. After that, we're open to discussing longer-term arrangements based on mutual fit. We value stability and want to build a team that grows with us.

Our 2026 Mission

We've built the foundation - now we're unlocking the network effect. In 2026, we're targeting other players in the labor market ecosystem: staffing agencies and intermediaries who need our infrastructure to operate efficiently.

Think about it: every employment agency, every staffing firm, every payroll intermediary faces the same regulatory complexity we've solved. By making our platform available to them, we create the volume and network effects needed to truly become the payment engine of the Dutch labor market.

This is how platforms scale: solve a hard problem once, then let the ecosystem amplify your impact. That's the adventure. Want to be part of it?

The Process

1. Submit your application: Send your motivation and resume

2. Phone interview: Quick chat with the hiring manager (Luc)

3. Office interviews (2 sessions):

   • Experience interview: technical depth and problem-solving

   • Culture interview: team fit and values alignment

4. Terms discussion: If we're both excited, we'll discuss specifics

5. Reference check: Standard but necessary

6. Contract signing 🎉

The whole process typically takes 2-3 weeks. We move fast because we respect your time.

Note: Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) is required within 1 month of starting.

Questions?

Contact Eline Mimpen: +31 (0)6 5920 0132

Recruitment agencies: thanks, but we're handling this internally.